Despite a 16-7 run by Southeast Missouri in the final 2:41, the Eastern men’s basketball team held on for a 77-74 win in Cape Girardeau, Mo., Saturday.

The Panthers led the Redhawks 70-58 with 2:41 left in regulation. A 3-pointer and layup back-to-back by Southeast Missouri guard Lucas Nutt triggered the Redhawks’ late run, as he scored seven of his 17 points during that stretch.

With 16 seconds remaining, Jarekious Bradley made a 3-pointer for the Redhawks to cut the game to 75-72, but that was the closest Southeast Missouri would get.

Eastern forward Josh Piper made 1-of-2 free throws on the ensuing possession, extending the Panthers’ lead to four. With Piper missing the second, Redhawk forward Tyler Stone hauled in the last of his game-high 11 rebounds.

As Southeast Missouri pushed the ball up the court, an open Bradley was once again found behind the 3-point line.

Only this time he missed the 3-point attempt with nine seconds remaining.

“We got open looks sometimes,” Bradley said in a press release. “We just didn’t knock them down like we’re used to. I’ll give credit to their defense, too.”

Bradley shot 2-of-8 from 3-point range, scoring 18 points.

Eastern guard Dylan Chatman rebounded the ball and was fouled four seconds later.

He, too, made 1-of-2 free throws for the Panthers, giving them a 77-72 lead and sealed the win before Nutt made a layup as time expired for the 77-74 final.

“It’s a gut-wrenching loss and we are very disappointed with the way we played,” said Southeast Missouri coach Dickey Nutt. “We didn’t treat this game with a sense of urgency. We gave them confidence and they hit shots.”

The Panthers improved to 4-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference while the Redhawks fall to 3-5, snapping their two-game OVC win streak.

Eastern out-shot Southeast Missouri 50 percent to 52.6 percent. The Panthers also made 7-of-13 from 3-point range, while keeping the Redhawks just 4-of-21.

“We fell into a trap, honestly,” Nutt said. “We fell into a trap that we feel like we can score the basketball and our guys have fun in scoring points. We don’t have fun in stopping people, and we’ve got to change that.”

Eastern, the OVC’s worst scoring offense, scored 13 points more than its season average.

Eastern led the game before it even started, as a technical foul on Southeast Missouri allowed Panther guard Zach Dickerson to make 1-of-2 free throws on the foul, giving the Panthers a 1-0 at tip off.

But while trailing 19-18 midway through the first half, the Panthers used a 19-1 run to jump out to a 37-20, its largest of the game.

The Redhawks responded with a 13-2 to end the first half, which cut the Panthers’ lead down to six.

Eastern’s run saw five different Panthers score, with guard Reggie Smith scoring seven of his game-high 23 points in the seven minute-span. Smith made 8-of-16 from the field and 6-of-9 from the free throw line with six assists.

The Redhawks shot 18-of-29 as a team from the free throw line and also committed 11 turnovers.

“We had 11 turnovers for the night, but the guys that missed 11 free throws, that’s a turnover,” Nutt said. “When you’re not shooting the basketball very well and then you compound that with free throws, you’ve got a real problem.”

Anthony Catezone can be reached at 581-2812 or ajcatezone@eiu.edu.