The Eastern men’s basketball team played a strong second half Saturday against Austin Peay at Lantz Arena, but it was not enough as the Governors handed the Panthers a 81-73 loss.

The Panthers (2-5, 1-1 Ohio Valley Conference) trailed by as many as 16 points in the second half, but strong second-half offensive performances from junior guards T.J. Marion and Dewayne Wright Jr. brought Eastern to within three, 76-73, with one minute, 26 seconds left.

The two combined to score 19 of the Panthers’ final 21 points.

The Governors (5-2, 2-0 OVC) had the ball out of bounds under the basket with five seconds left on the shot clock, when the Panthers left Austin Peay sophomore guard Caleb Brown wide open in the corner for a 3-pointer giving Austin Peay a 79-73 lead Eastern could not come back from.

“We had a little slip in coverage there,” Eastern head coach Mike Miller said. “We have a similar play in our package (to) throw across to our shooters. We know he’s there, and we know what has to happen. We had our middle covered. We thought we had our baseline covered, but they got it through and made a shot.”

Junior guard Romain Martin carried the Panthers in the first half, scoring 15 of his 18 points, but Eastern still trailed at the half 44-32.

In the second half, the Panthers chipped away at the Governors’ lead and trailed by two with less than three minutes to play, but Austin Peay did not relinquish the lead and Eastern was unable to finish with a victory.

The Panthers had no answer for Austin Peay senior forward Drake Reed all night as he finished with 37 points on 15-of-22 shooting. He also had eight rebounds and two assists.

“He is impossible to guard,” Miller said.

Marion finished with 20 points for the Panthers, scoring 14 in the second half.

He was effective getting into the lane and creating his own shot in the second half.

Senior forward Billy Parrish said the Panthers trailing after the first half put them in a huge disadvantage as the game unfolded.

“We didn’t come out hard enough with enough energy,” Parrish said. “They popped us and came out on our home floor and got us down early, and we spent the rest of the time fighting back.”

In the first half, the Governors shot 57 percent from the field (16-of-18), but in the second half the Panthers limited them to 40 percent (12-of-30).

Wright said the difference for the Panthers in the second half was defensive pressure and intensity.

“Our defense really was aggressive in the second half,” Wright said. “We played with way more poise in the second half. In the beginning, they were able to speed up the game in the second half and get some open shots, but we were able to adjust and get back in it.”

Eastern returns to action on the road at 7 p.m Wednesday in Evansville, Ind., against Evansville.

Dan Cusack can be reached at 581-7944 or at dscusack@eiu.edu.