CHARLESTON, Ill. - SIUE men's basketball dropped its season finale on the road Saturday at Eastern Illinois, falling 61-46. The loss drops SIUE out of contention for next week's Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The Cougars end the season with a record of 9-18 overall and 5-11 in the OVC.

Eastern Illinois improved to 11-20 overall and 6-10 in the OVC. The Panthers will have the No. 7 seed at the tournament.

"We didn't deserve to win today. Eastern did," SIUE Head Coach Lennox Forrester said. "Give a lot of credit to them. I was very disappointed how we played as a team."

SIUE trailed 40-16 at halftime after connecting on just 6 of 23 first half attempts from the field and turning the ball over 10 times in the first 20  minutes.

"We had 10 turnovers, they had five steals," Forrester added. "We were just settling for jump shots. We weren't trying to get to the basket. We were very soft."

The Cougars shot 52.2 percent (12-23) from the floor in the second half and outscored EIU 30-21. SIUE committed just four turnovers in the second half, while forcing seven by the Panthers. Forrester said it was a case of too little, too late.

"You don't walk in and give anyone a 20-something point lead on their home floor and expect to come back," he said.

Senior Mark Yelovich, playing his final game in a Cougar uniform, led all players with 16 points and six rebounds. Yelovich scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half and was 6 of 9 from the field in the last 20 minutes.

"He had a great second half," Forrester said of Yelovich. "It's going to be hard to replace him. It's going to be hard to replace someone you can go to night in and night out and he comes up with tough shots for you.

"I am very proud of him. I wish he could have continued to play," he added.

Forrester also said Yelovich's impact stretches beyond the basketball floor.

"He's been a great ambassador to our University and the men's basketball program," Forrester continued. "He's helped to build a strong foundation with the basketball program and the entire athletic program."

Seniors Reggie Reed, Zeke Schneider, and Derian Shaffer each played their final games for SIUE. All three had two points in the loss. Kris Davis added nine points for the Cougars. Michael Messer scored seven and grabbed five rebounds.

For the game, SIUE outrebounded EIU 31-28.

Morris Woods paced the Panthers with 13 points on 4 of 7 shooting. Sherman Blanford scored 10 and pulled down six rebounds in the win. The Panthers shot 50 percent (16-32) in the first half and finished at 47.9 percent (23-48) for the game.

"It's just disappointing how we started the first half, knowing what was on the line tonight," Forrester said.