Despite getting off to a slow start in the first half, the Eastern men’s basketball team remains undefeated at home, defeating Oakland City 83-67.

Oakland City found itself ahead 14-12 with 11 minutes to play in the first half, with the Mighty Oaks refusing to go down.

It wasn’t until freshman forward Josh Piper landed two free throws to tie the game at 14, and from there, Eastern would never let back.

Piper, who played 19 minutes, would go on to score 17 points, while also racking up one block and one steal.

“It felt good. My teammates were looking for me and giving me good passes,” Piper said. “I was right around the basket and I was able to make them.”

The Panthers would close out the first half ahead 42-28, and would continue to control the game into the second half.

A big contributor for Eastern in the second half would be red-shirt senior guard L.C. Doss, who would finish the game with 21 points and five steals. Doss was able to knock down shot after shot and stay in a rhythm to build on the Panthers’ lead in the second half.

“My teammates were just finding me at the right places at the right times,” Doss said.

Doss said that the Panthers, now a perfect 5-0 at Lantz Arena, feed off the energy of the crowd.

“It’s definitely easier to play (at Lantz Arena), especially once someone makes a big play with the crowd,” he said. “The crowd really gets us going, which I think is a huge advantage for us.”

Though head coach Mike Miller was happy with the win, he saw a lot of room for improvement.

“I don’t want to take anything away. You always have to respect your opponent,” Miller said. “(Oakland City) made some plays down the stretch and did some things that kept themselves right there.”

Miller still said he felt the team played well, but not exactly up to the team’s game plan.

“We had some very good performances tonight and built a nice lead,” he said. “Kinda got off to a slow start, but I don’t think we carried through on what we were trying to do.”

Piper, despite his strong performance, had similar feelings.

“I feel like overall we could have played better,” Piper said. “It feels good to get the win, but we could have played better.”

The Panthers now have an overall record of 6-2. The team’s next game will be the first of a three game road trip, beginning with Western Illinois at 7 p.m. Saturday in Macomb.

Dominic Renzetti can be reached at 581-7942 or dcrenzetti@eiu.edu.