For the second game in a row, Eastern head coach Matt Bollant was blunt when talking about the state of his team.

The Panthers trailed Southeast Missouri by just five points heading into the fourth quarter Saturday in Lantz Arena, but also for the second game in a row, the Panthers collapsed late and the game was quickly out of reach for Eastern and they ended up losing 77-54.

Eastern’s fourth quarter debacle, in which it was outscored 24-6, left Bollant once again disappointed in his young team’s inability to play a consistent four quarters and even went as far to say the Panthers’ post game “sucked”.

“Two games in a row where I was really frustrated with the way we played in the fourth quarter,” Bollant said. “And as a staff we have to figure out how to be better because we keep doing the same thing over and over and as a staff that’s on us. We have got to find a way to change.”

When Southeast Missouri began to pull away in the fourth quarter, the Panthers looked to anyone to step up and bring Eastern back into the game. But that did not happen and the Redhawks handed the Panthers their sixth conference loss in seven games.

“Competitors step up when the other team goes on a run and we’re not doing that and I don’t think we have enough competitors,” Bollant said. “And it’s on us. As a coaching staff, we have got to somehow bring that out of them, demand more. Because we have had three fourth quarters now in a row where we have been horrendous and its killing me.”

Sophomore Danielle Berry said it’s been a trend that when teams start to run on Eastern, it doesn’t recover and change the course of the game.

“We let teams beat us up and we get down and we don’t have the courage bounce back,” Berry said.

In what was more or less a re-run of Eastern’s 72-44 loss to Tennessee-Martin Jan. 18, Bollant was left wanting more from his team’s juniors that he feels are underproducing on the court.

Junior Jalisha Smith played nicely for a stretch with the Panthers showing off a reverse layup and finishing with nine points, but shot just 3-of-8 in 15 minutes.

Junior Carmen Tellez shot 2-of-8 and finished with six points and junior Halle Stull played just four minutes for Eastern.

“We constantly play against teams where junior and senior step up and make plays, we don’t have any seniors, that’s a problem,” Bollant said. “Jalisha needs to step up, Carmen and Halle need to step up and it’s hard to not have juniors that can lead and do that.”

The lack of quality minutes from the team’s upperclassmen has put an increased workload on younger player like freshmen Taylor Steele, Karle Pace and sophomore Danielle Berry.

“(Berry) and (Steele), they’re honestly doing too much at times and they’re having to do too much,” Bollant said. “Taylor Steele, we’re just relying on her too much. There is times she gets a little bit tired. But that’s where we needed a bench.”

Berry had a team-high 13 points and Steele finished with 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting.

JJ Bullock can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]