SE CATECHES PANTHERS WITH CLAWS TRIMMED

Eastern Illinois men's basketball coach Rick Samuels is the first to admit that losing two of his top players to injury is frustrating and disappointing.

But Samuels also knows that feeling sorry for themselves will do the Panthers no good as they enter tonight's 7:30 Ohio Valley Conference game against Southeast Missouri State University at the Show Me Center.

"It's frustrating, but we have to play through it," said Samuels. "Injuries happen frequently in athletics. We'll expect and anticipate that the kids who replace them will play hard."

But, added Samuels, "At this point in the season it disrupts your chemistry and I thought that was one of our biggest strengths."

Missing from the lineup tonight will be both of EIU's normal starting forwards, Marc Polite and Merve Joseph, who average 13.2 and 10.3 points per game, respectively.

Polite, a three-year starter, is shooting 41 percent from 3-point range while Joseph leads the Panthers in rebounding with 7.2 per game.

Polite, who had been playing with a bad knee, underwent arthroscopic surgery Wednesday and is expected to miss seven to 10 days. Joseph, scheduled for knee surgery in the next few days, is out for the rest of the season.

"Those are obviously two very big losses for them," said Southeast coach Gary Garner. "Any time you take two very good players out of the lineup, it hurts."

Garner, however, said he still expects a very strong performance from the Panthers, who are 8-7 overall and tied for fourth place in the OVC at 4-3.

"Whenever you're missing some of your key players, your team really has a tendency to rally together and play really well, especially for a game or two," said Garner, whose team is13-3 overall and leads the 10-team OVC with a 6-1 record, one-half game ahead of Murray State.

Added Garner, "I believe they'll come in here and play really well. Just because they're missing two of their best players, we can't assume it won't be a very tough game."

Samuels indicated that exactly what Garner spoke of about how a team sometimes rallies together when injuries hit took place Tuesday, when the Panthers beat Middle Tennessee.

"Marc didn't play in the second half, but our kids came through," Samuels said. "It was kind of a gutsy effort and we'll need that (tonight)."

While two of EIU's best players are hurt, the Panthers' top performer is healthy and Garner knows he'll be hard to stop. Kyle Hill, an explosive 6-foot-2 junior guard, averages 18.6 points per game to rank fourth in the OVC.

Hill, who scores from virtually all over the court, also averages 5.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game while leading the squad in blocked shots with 10.

"He's a very good player who can do a lot of things," said Garner of Hill. "I don't know if we have anybody who can guard him."

Said Samuels of Hill, "He's having a very good season and he really stepped up in the second half against Middle Tennessee."

Also averaging in double figures for the Panthers is 6-1 junior guard Matt Britton (10.6 ppg), who is among the OVC's best 3-point shooters at 48 percent.

The Panthers, with Polite and Joseph out, are limited inside, but they still have some strength around the basket, led by 6-7, 250-pound senior center John Smith (7.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg), who is the squad's second-leading rebounder.

"They've still got some other good players to go with Hill, so he's not the only one we have to worry about," Garner said.

According to Samuels, his team has plenty to worry about when it comes to the Indians, who lead the OVC in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense.

"They're playing very well," said Samuels. "They've got great confidence, especially playing at home. They're really solid defensively. Holding Tennessee Tech to 50 points was really something."

Tennessee Tech was averaging an OVC-best 87 points per game before the Indians beat the Eagles 61-50 at the Show Me Center Tuesday night.

Garner will be looking for more of the same defensively tonight as the Indians play the second of four straight home games, a homestand that he knows is crucial to Southeast's OVC championship hopes.

"It's so important we protect our home court, but we can't look past anybody," said Garner. "I know you hear me and all coaches say this in basketball, but you have to take it one game at a time."