CARLINVILLE, Ill. - The men's basketball team nearly came from behind to eliminate a six point deficit in the last minute of the game, but the Panthers ultimately came up short in a 133-129 loss at Blackburn.

Henry Johnson and Sontiago Grady each surpassed the 20-point mark. Johnson ended with 22 points, and Grady posted 21 points.

Marvin Bateman was right behind Johnson and Grady with 19 points.

Dustin Bankowski doubled his previous GU career high point total of eight with a Wednesday night effort of 16 points. Bankowski also had a team-high five assists.

Riley Simmons provided 12 points, five steals, and four assists.

The Panthers held a 63-60 lead at halftime and was up by as many as 10 points in the first half.

Greenville forced 34 turnovers by the Beavers and collected 23 steals.

The Panthers (13-10, 12-5 SLIAC) travel to Eureka for their final regular season game on Saturday. The SLIAC tournament will begin for Greenville at Webster on Thursday, Feb. 27.

The Panthers are SLIAC tournament qualifiers for the fifth straight season. No other SLIAC team has an active streak of more than three seasons in the SLIAC tournament.