Eastern and Austin Peay basketball games have been known for being close, intense games over the past couple of years.

Thursday night’s game was no different as the Panthers (6-11, 2-4) fell to the Governors (9-6, 2-2) 87-80 in overtime at the Dunn Center.

“It’s become a typical EIU/Austin Peay game,” Eastern head coach Rick Samuels said. “They hit some tough three pointers, and we had nobody who could make a big play. We are going to regret not winning a game like this.”

Eastern saw their 10-point second half lead fall late in the game as the Governors hit a barrage of late threes to send the game to overtime with the score notched at 74-74.

The Panthers led the game 59-49 with seven minutes remaining. After a media timeout, the Governors turned on the heat to make their late game surge. Austin Peay went on a 6-0 run to move the game within four points.

The teams traded baskets for the next six possessions with the Panthers leading 65-61 with two minutes remaining.

With Eastern ahead 71-66, Austin Peay head coach Dave Loos decided it was time to put Eastern at the line.

The Panthers went 3-for-4 at the free throw line late in the game, but three-point baskets by sophomore guard Anthony Davis and junior guard Rhet Wierzba kept the Governors in the game. Junior forward Adrian Henning capped the comeback with seven seconds remaining to send the game into extra minutes.

Austin Peay took that momentum into the overtime period by scoring the first six points, and Eastern could not rebound as the Governors moved to a .500 record in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Samuels was upset with his team’s lack of ability to make a big play late in the game.

“We’ve got an upperclassmen team, and we don’t have anybody who can make a play,” Samuels said.

Senior guard Henry Domercant led the team with 38 points and nine rebounds to move to 4th on the all-time OVC scoring list. Junior center Jesse Mackinson added 12 points and 9 rebounds respectively.

Eastern was able to stop the top rated three-point team in the conference for most of the night, but Austin Peay managed to work the ball inside despite the return of senior center Jan Thompson to the Panther lineup.

Junior center Josh Lewis had a double-double for the Governors with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Henning added 19 points on 8-of-18 from the field.

Austin Peay shot the ball well by hitting 53 percent from the field compared to Eastern’s 35 percent.

The Panthers come back home at 7:10 Saturday to end their non-conference schedule against Division III Aurora. The Panthers are currently 4-1 at Lantz Arena this season.

“It’s a crucial game for us,” Samuels said. “They are going to come in and challenge us. It could be a long night.”