The Eastern men’s basketball team did not want to be the first Ohio Valley Conference team to lose to Tennessee State this season. The Panthers (14-13, 9-6) took advantage of a 17-0 run in the middle of the second half to prevent it and beat the Tigers 88-75.

“We got going in the second half,” Eastern head coach Rick Samuels said. “We took the wind out of their sails and just got a cushion on them. In the second half we just wanted to bring it up and penetrate.”

Senior guard Henry Domercant ignited the Panthers’ offense for 24 of his game high 35 points in the second 20 minutes. Domercant’s efforts made him No. 46 all-time in scoring, passing NBA greats Elgin Baylor and Bill Bradley.

“I was really pushing Henry to be aggressive,” Samuels said. “In the second half he was much better at getting in the seams. If he does that, he is a great player.”

The Panthers opened the game strong by breaking out to an early 20-11 lead led by 11 points from Domercant. Tennessee State (2-24, 0-15) charged back with a 15-2 run to take 26-22 lead with just under eight minutes remaining in the first half.

During that stretch, the Panthers’ shooting went cold and only hit one field goal over a six minute span. Eastern shot only 30 percent during the first half.

The teams traded baskets for most of the remainder of the half with the Tigers taking a 39-33 lead going into the locker room.

The Panthers were quick to jump on the Tigers at the start of the second half gaining a 43-41 lead after a 10-2 run.

The game went back and forth for the next couple minutes until Eastern broke the game open with 17 straight points to take a 64-49 lead with just over seven minutes remaining in the game.

Tennessee State was able to get the game within seven points, but Eastern free throws sealed the victory. The Panthers converted 30-of-34 from the free throw line for 88 percent.

Domercant added 12 rebounds to his 35 points for the double-double. Senior guard J.R. Reynolds contributed 20 points while freshman guard Josh Gomes added 10 and junior forward David Roos finished with 9 points off the bench.

The Tigers were led by junior guard Josh Cooperwood with 23 points while senior guard Garrett Richardson added 19.

The Panthers are just one win away from getting a first round tournament game at Lantz Arena. They play Tennessee Tech at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. They could still play at home if Murray State loses to Tennessee-Martin.

“If we get help great, but we want to focus on beating (Tennessee) Tech,” Samuels said. “If we are going to make a run into the tournament, that is a game we have to show we can play.”