After a comeback in the second half, the Panthers fell short against the Morehead State Eagles 73-66 Thursday evening in Groniger Arena.
It was a back and forth contest the first six minutes of the game with four lead changes.
The energy shifted the Eagles’ way and the team went on a 13-0 run that eventually gave them a 37-26 lead going into halftime.
Senior guard NaKyel Shelton got off to a hot start by scoring 20 of the 26 points for the Panthers.
“Coming in, I knew we were short handed with guys battling injuries and sickness including myself, but I wanted to make sure I was available for my team,” Shelton said.
The Panthers had six players unavailable for the game in forwards Sekou Kalle and Blake Goodman and guards Carson Prost, Malik Olafioye, Isaiah Griffin and Zion Fruster.
Despite being short handed, Eastern started the second half with energy that started with a three-pointer from graduate forward Kooper Jacobi.
Senior guard Corey Sawyer Jr. stepped up for the Panthers, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the second half.
“As one of the captains, I bring the energy and leadership and pick guys up when they’re down,” Sawyer Jr. said.
Eastern came in the second half in a 2-2-1 press defense that got the comeback started for them.
“We start with defense, we get stops and we get in transition and score easy buckets and it helps our offense,” Sawyer Jr. said.
Shelton stayed hot in the second half, scoring 18 points that helped Eastern stay in the game.
Ultimately, the Panthers shortened their deficit to three points in the second half but could never get past that mark as the Eagles made all the timely shots needed to stay in front.
Shelton finished with 38 points which is a season and career high for his time with Eastern.
“He was sick and didn’t practice yesterday and that shows a lot about him and his character, playing at a high level,” Eastern’s head coach Marty Simmons said.
Even though the Panthers lost, Simmons said he’s proud of the team for not giving up and staying determined until the clock ran out.
“I’m really proud of them, with guys being down, others played too many minutes,” Simmons said. “I thought our guys were resilient. The Eagles made shots and kept pushing the lead away, but our guys never gave in and it felt like we were 1-2 plays away from winning the game.”
With this loss, the Panthers are now 1-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Eastern will play their next game on Saturday against Southern Indiana at Groniger Arena.
Tip off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Cameron Thomas can be reached at 581-2812 or at densportsdesk@gmail.com.