Eastern men’s basketball Head Coach Rick Samuels didn’t have to think long when asked about the biggest statistical difference between his team’s five wins and 10 losses.

“The other team scored more points,” he said with a smile.

And while that is certainly true, one factor closely tied to the final score shows the disparity between a Panthers’ win and a Panthers’ loss – the three-point shot.

In their five wins, the Panthers have excelled from behind the arc, sinking 48 percent of their three-point attempts. In their 10 losses, the Panthers have struggled, shooting at a 29 percent clip.

“It’s a big shot for us; it gives us a boost and raises our energy,” freshman guard Bobby Catchings said. “When we’re not making threes, it becomes harder for us to get into a rhythm.”

Catchings is one of the three outside threats the Panthers have looked to this season. Senior guard Emanuel Dildy and junior guard Josh Gomes are Eastern’s top three-point threats.

Samuels said his guards were a big factor in the Panthers’ early wins, providing an impact from behind the arc.

“When we were winning, Emanuel was hitting big shots and Gomes was getting good looks,” Samuels said. “We need that kind of a feeling again where when we shoot it, we know it’s going in.”

Catchings said playing eight of their last nine games away from Lantz Arena hasn’t helped the Panthers build a lot of confidence.

“You’re not going to go out and make all your threes every night,” he said. “There are times when you just don’t shoot well, even at home. But, on the road, it’s definitely tougher.”

Also making things more difficult are Ohio Valley Conference opponents, who have had time to scout the Panthers and identify who their long-distance threats are, Dildy said.

“The looks haven’t been as good,” he said.

But while the amount of open looks has diminished, the value of the three-point shot remains high.

“If we get an open look at a three, that’s the shot we want,” Catchings said. “If we have an open three, and we can’t make that, it’s like, now, we have to look to something else.”

And if the three-point jumpers are falling, the effects can be seen in a variety of a game’s facets.

“Making a three does a lot for our team’s confidence,” Dildy said. “It’s kind of catchy-type-of-thing.

“Once one guy hits a three, then Josh hits a three and Bobby hits a three, it really gets our team rolling.”

And the team can use the momentum to quickly pull away from an opponent or to quickly close the gap between the Panthers and a leading team.

Also, by making a team respect Eastern’s perimeter game, the team creates better looks close to the basket for the forwards and centers.

“With this team, we work more outside-in,” Dildy said. “That puts a lot of pressure on us to make the open jump shots we get, so we can open things up inside.”

Samuels said hitting three-point shots also gives a team a psychological edge.

“It can be very deflating for the other defense when you have two or three guys who can make open jump shots,” he said. “The crowd in college basketball gets excited when three-point baskets are made.”

And a few quick threes could be just enough to seal a game in the waning minutes by putting it out of reach.

“It might sound kind of simple, but it’s three points instead of two,” Dildy said. “If you hit two or three three’s, that’s six points instead of four – the difference between a 36-30 lead and a 34-30 lead.

“It’s a lot harder to crawl back from being down six than it is being down four.”