The Eastern men’s basketball team scored its highest point total since 2008 in what was arguably the team’s biggest win of the season.

The Panthers received a career night from Demetrius McReynolds as they improved to 5-12 on the season, and 2-3 in conference play with a 97-85 victory over Eastern Kentucky.

“We played efficiently tonight, and it comes down to the fact that we just hit our shots,” Panthers coach Jay Spoonhour said.

Eastern Kentucky came into play as the top ranked offense in the Ohio Valley Conference, but it was the Panthers who had the top offense in the game with five players scoring in double digits.

“We kept our concentration, and that is what we had to do against this team,” Spoonhour said. “They really have talented offensive guys, and we were able to concentrate on that.”

Eastern Illinois got down early as they trailed by seven early on in the first half, but answered back quickly to take a 10 point lead with 14 minutes remaining in the half.

“We just weren’t ready when we first came out, and that’s why we got down early,” McReynolds said. “But after coach called that timeout it got us back together, and we just started playing hard.”

The Panthers led by as much as 19 points in the game, and were seemingly unstoppable for most of the game as they shot 55 percent from the field.

“When you have a lead, you have to keep scoring,” Spoonhour said. “I thought we did a pretty good job of being able to hold our lead.”

The story of the game was McReynold’s 27 points and 10 rebounds, in what was his best game of the season.

“It felt good to have my shots falling in, but coach did a good job of calling the right plays so I could do that,” McReynolds said.

“It’s always fun when you make shots and that is what he did today,” Spoonhour said. “His best play of the night was a tip in because he didn’t just watch on that play, he worked hard at it.”

The Panthers found a way to stop the Colonel’s leading scorer, Jarelle Reischel, as he was held to just 10 points in the game.

A big part of that was Reischel getting into foul trouble early in the second half, then would later foul out with five minutes left in the game.

“It was a big deal for him to be in foul trouble,” Spoonhour said. “We were able to get the charge we needed on him, and that is what we have been working on.”

The Panthers also got a big game from senior Luke Piotrowski, as he scored 11 points and came up with two big blocks.

Eastern Illinois will now turn their focus to another big conference game on Saturday against Morehead State.

Morehead State comes into play at 8-7 overall on the season, and 2-1 in OVC play.

While the Panthers are high on this victory, Spoonhour said that it will not translate much to Saturday’s game.

“Morehead state is going to force the ball from us, and they are a different kind of team,” Spoonhour said.

After earning a big win like this, there is an opportunity to carry with momentum as the team tries to turn this season around.

“I really think this is the game that changes things for us,” McReynolds said.

Tip-off is at 315pm on Saturday, and the Panthers will be look to repeat the performance they had in this victory.

Maher Kawash can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]