Almost every coach will say defense is the key to success in any sport, and Eastern’s men’s basketball team showed exactly why defense is so important.

The Panthers entered the game against Morehead State giving up 64.6 points per game. They held the third best scoring team in the Ohio Valley Conference to 40 points.

The defensive effort catapulted the Panthers to their third OVC win, bringing their record to 3-4 in conference and 7-10 overall.

Eastern head coach Mike Miller said this was the best defense he has seen from any team in his six seasons as head coach.

“It was an unbelievable effort,” Miller said.

The Panthers also held potential NBA draft pick Kenneth Faried to a season-low five points, as well as causing him to commit eight turnovers.

Sophomore forward Sean Pratl said the team knew how good Faried was and it did not want to let him get going offensively.

“We were physical with (Faried) and that took him out of his game and got him in foul trouble,” Pratl said. “You could tell he was getting frustrated throughout the night.”

Laser still hurt

Senior guard Tyler Laser remains out, as he missed his seventh consecutive game with a back injury.

As the Morehead game shows, the Panthers could use Laser’s 11 points per game to get the offense back on track.

Miller said he is still unsure when Laser will return, but he is going to see a doctor this week to get a better idea of when that will be.

Around the OVC

Tennessee State handed Austin Peay its first loss in the OVC this season with a 76-74 win in overtime.

Tennessee State was led by forward Kenny Moore with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Moore was also named OVC Newcomer of the week for his performance. With the loss, Austin Peay’s record drops to 6-1 in conference; however, it still remains at first place in the standings, leading Murray State and Tennessee State by one game.

UT Martin beat Jacksonville State 63-60 to gets its first OVC win of the 2011 season. Jacksonville State remains winless at 0-7 in conference.

Eastern Kentucky topped Southeast Missouri 64-52 to even its record at 4-4 in conference.

Eastern Kentucky was led by guard Josh Daniel, who scored 19 points, all of which came in the second half.

Rob Mortell can be reached at 581-7944 or rdmortell@eiu.edu

Isaac Smith III, a freshman guard, takes the shot against Morehead State Saturday night in Lantz Arena. Smith scored 9 points against the Eagles. (Audrey Sawyer/The Daily Eastern News)

(more…)