Freshman guard Ellen Canale hit a driving layup to tie the game 45-45.

Eight minutes, 48 seconds later the Eastern women’s basketball team lost 55-46 to Austin Peay.

During that stretch, the Panthers went 0-for-9 from the field and watched senior forward Ashley Haynes hit jump shot after jump shot to put Eastern away.

Eastern senior guard Megan Sparks expressed shock and disappointment in the way the Panthers failed to close out the game.

“We didn’t the score the last nine minutes?” Sparks said. “They just had a better offense, better mentality, better team. There’s not much to say.”

In a game that was there for the taking, the Panthers dropped another close game to a possible tournament opponent. Not only did the loss drop the Panthers to fifth place in the Ohio Valley Conference, but it also gave Austin Peay a home game between the two teams if they were to finish the season tied for fourth.

The Lady Govs relied on their pressure defense to stifle the Panthers’ offense.

“They outplayed us, plain and simple,” Eastern coach Brady Sallee said. “Those last eight minutes weren’t us. I know that.”

The usually good free-throw shooting Panthers made only 7-of-13 attempts, including 1-for-4 in the final nine minutes.

While Sparks blamed a “relaxed” week of practice for the Panthers’ struggles, Sallee saw it as more of what Austin Peay did and what the Panthers didn’t do.

“Everything was real sloppy,” Sparks said of the week of practice.

“I thought we practiced the same as we always do,” Sallee said. “Austin Peay was just better tonight.”

The easy thing to say about the final eight minutes is that the Panthers’ shots just weren’t falling. But there was more to the final minutes than missed shots as Eastern continued to turn the ball over, leading to 24 on the night.

“It was a combination of everything,” Sparks said. “We weren’t able to get out of it.”

Although Sallee maintained the Panthers’ confidence was still high, Sparks and freshman center Rachel Galligan showed a look of frustration in their faces.

Neither looked to have the answer as to what went wrong in the final minutes, nor did freshman guard Megan Edwards (eight turnovers) who looked frustrated from the constant pressure of junior guard Saundra Hale.

“It was a frustrating night,” Sallee said. “But if we win the next five, nobody will remember this.”

That is unless the Panthers have to travel to Clarksville, Tenn., to face Austin Peay in the first round of the OVC Tournament.

In what had to be considered one of the bigger games at Lantz Arena in recent years, the Panthers claim they’re not listening to the hype.

“I think every game we play is going to have hype around it,” Sparks said.

The Panthers may look back at the end of the season realizing the opportunity they lost —

8 minutes, 48 seconds of opportunity.

“It hurts,” Sparks said.