The Panther men’s basketball team gave everyone a glimpse into the future during the first 4:20 of its 82-61 win over Tennessee State Thursday night at Lantz Arena.

Freshman guard Bobby Catchings and freshman center George Tandy scored 12 of Eastern’s first 14 points, and Tennessee State head coach Cy Alexander said the Panthers’ future paid dividends in the present.

“Tandy and Catchings both had a good first half, and it kind of knocked us on our heels,” Alexander said. “And then, we were chasing them all game.”

Eastern (10-13, 5-7 Ohio Valley Conference) led the Tigers 14-8 heading into the first media timeout and never relinquished the lead.

Catchings started things out, curling off of a screen and drilling a three-point shot on the first Eastern possession.

That shot, Catchings said, set the stage for a big night.

“After I made that first three, I looked over at coach (Rick Samuels), and he just nodded at me,” Catchings said. “It was a great feeling.”

On the next Panther possession, Tandy knocked down a 19-foot jumper from the top of the key. Senior forward Aaron Patterson scored on a jump-hook the next time Eastern had the ball.

Then, it was Catchings’ turn, hitting a 5-foot basket before junior guard Josh Gomes found him all alone in the left corner. Catchings connected on the three-pointer, putting Eastern up 12-6.

After a Tennessee State basket, the Panthers went back inside to Patterson, but he failed to connect on his turnaround jumper. The rebound bounced off the rim to the opposite side of the basket, where Tandy slammed the ball back home with a thunderous one-handed dunk tip.

“It was a big play,” Tandy said. “It got us a lot of momentum, got the crowd into it and got the team hyped.”

And the dunk-thirsty crowd got more to cheer about a little more than four minutes later.

Trailing 20-14, Tennessee State (11-14, 6-5) tried to slow Eastern with full-court pressure. Eastern found senior guard Jason Wright breaking long and connected on the hail-mary pass. Wright couldn’t convert, but Catchings, who was trailing the fast break, flew down the lane and scored with a two-handed dunk tip.

On the night, Catchings scored 15 points with four rebounds and three blocks. Tandy chipped in with 14 points, eight rebounds and a game-high four blocks.

The performance did a lot to boost the freshmen’s psyche, Catchings said.

“It felt like high school out there,” he said. “I was just so loose and having fun.

“This totally boosts our confidence.”

While the boosted confidence should make an immediate impact, the Panthers have a lot more to look forwards to, Alexander said.

“The OVC is a tough conference and a lot of parity,” he said. “But Eastern certainly has a bright future.”