The last time Eastern traveled to the Regional Special Events Center it suffered a 47-point loss at the hands of Murray State in the first round of the 2002 Ohio Valley Conference tournamenr.

The memory of the defeat still floats around the Panthers locker room.

“I don’t think it’s in the back of our minds. I think it’s in our minds,” Eastern head coach Rick Samuels said. “We don’t ever want to be in that position again.”

The good points the Panthers (11-12, 6-5) can pull from this is they are on a four-game winning streak and are coming off a victory over top ranked Morehead State.

The Racers (12-10, 5-5) are also on a streak of their own. They have dropped their past two games but look to break out of their slump

“The good thing is that we feel good about ourselves,” Samuels said. “Murray has lost a couple, so they are going to be anxious to get going again. Games at this time are always crucial.”

The Panthers have been unlucky on the road this season with only two wins in 12 tries.

This game proves to be important, not just for another game in the win column, but because Eastern currently sits in the fourth and final spot for a first-round home game in the OVC Tournament with Murray behind them in the fifth spot.

A win over the Racers could also put them in charge of the tie breaker because of their win over first place Morehead.

“When you are playing head to head, it’s easier to distance yourself from the other teams,” Samuels said.

If anything concerns Samuels entering the game it’s Murray’s inside game. The Racers lead the league in rebound margin (5.8) and are second in blocked shots with 4.6 per game.

“We have to keep them off the boards,” Samuels said. “A couple of late rebounds were critical when they beat us here. We have to be tough inside the lane.”

Something Samuels will not have to be concerned about is the health of the No. 3 scorer in the nation Henry Domercant. The senior guard injured his ankle in the second half against Morehead Saturday, but will have no problems making the start for Eastern.

Senior center Jan Thompson went down with an injury against the Eagles, but he is also expected to be in the lineup for the Panthers.

The Racers have a balanced offensive attack with four of their five starters averaging in double-digits in scoring.

Murray senior center James Singleton leads the way with 14.3 points per game and is second in the OVC in rebounding with 10.5 per game.

Eastern will continue their road trip with a critical match up against Tennessee-Martin at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Skyhawks (12-10, 5-6) sit in the sixth spot and would be tied with the Panthers with a win.

Eastern knocked-off Martin earlier in the season at Lantz Arena in a 68-60 victory.

“The little things could be huge there,” Samuels said. “Execution offensively will be huge for us. It’ll be a tough match up.”

Samuels hopes they can put their road troubles behind them and solidify their spot in the conference standings down the final stretch before the OVC tournament.

“This has been the hardest road trip for us,” Samuels said. “The Murray/Martin road trips have been the toughest.”