Thursday night’s game against Murray State was painfully within Eastern’s grip for a victor,. but mistakes late in the game, and a lack of intensity in the first half cost the Panthers a chance to get their second win in the Ohio Valley Conference.

For much of the first half, defensive rebounding for the Panthers was basically non-existent. Eastern was unable to keep the Racers off the offensive boards through the first 20 minutes, giving up 13 offensive rebounds in that time.

The Panthers were able to hang around for the first half, but the five point deficit could not be overcome in the second half.

Even though Eastern kept the game close early, the team did struggle offensively. Senior guard Henry Domercant was held scoreless for the first 13 minutes of the game, leaving the offensive output to red-shirt freshmen Jake Sinclair and senior guard J.R. Reynolds.

Reynolds was a major reason for Eastern staying close in the first half by going 2-3 from behind the arc. He provided the spark the Panthers needed by hitting the two three-pointers as soon as he came off the bench.

But the lack of rebounding, on both sides of the court, dug Eastern into a whole it could not get out of. A lack of intensity on the defensive side of the ball allowed the Racer’s physical forwards Cuthbert Victor and James Singleton to find plenty of second-chance opportunities.

“It was discussed all week to box out and be assertive on the boards,” head coach Rick Samuels said. “It isn’t just our forwards either, our perimeter players need to box out as well and help out rebounding.”

Nevertheless, Eastern came out in the second half a more determined team, and found themselves in the lead throughout the final stretches of the game. But as the Racers started to build some momentum late, the Panthers could not find an answer.

With just under a minute left in the game, junior forward Jesse Mackinson made a layup giving the Panthers a 72-71 lead. But this was the last push by the Panthers, and the Racers were able to finish the game with a 9-2 run.

“Basketball is a game of runs,” said Sinclair. “We just didn’t make our run at the right time.”

The biggest backbreaker came when the usually reliable Sinclair was called for traveling while bringing the ball up court against the Racer’s press. After this the Panthers didn’t seem to regain their composure, and lost control of the game.