Southeast Missouri (22-6, 14-3 OVC) at UT Martin (19-9, 15-2 OVC)

Game Information
Date: Saturday, February 29, 2020
Tip-off: 2 p.m., CT
Location: Martin, Tenn.
Arena: Elam Center
Series: UTM leads, 29-38
Last Meeting: SEMO 71, UTM 69 | Feb. 13, 2020 | Show Me Center
Head Coaches: Rekha Patterson (77-71, Fifth Season). Kevin McMillan (215-135, 11th Season).
 
Media Information
Video: ESPN+
Radio: ESPN 93.5 FM & 1220 AM (Erik Sean)
Live Stats: GoSoutheast.com
Twitter: @OffiicialSEMOWBB

Tipping Off 
The Southeast Missouri women's basketball team heads to UT Martin for its regular-season finale Saturday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m., CT at the Elam Center.

Follow the Redhawks 
Fans can listen to Saturday's game live on the radio at ESPN 93.5 FM and 1220 AM with Erik Sean calling the action. Video can be accessed at ESPN+. Live stats are available at GoSoutheast.com. Twitter updates will be available at @OfficialSEMOWBB. 

Series History 
Southeast Missouri trails its all-time series against UT Martin, 38-29. SEMO edged UTM just two weeks ago. The Redhawks defeated the Skyhawks, 71-69, on Feb. 13. UTM holds a 20-2 advantage over SEMO dating back to 2010. The Redhawks lost six of their last seven meetings with UTM. The Redhawks are 2-8 against UTM under head coach Rekha Patterson. 

Scouting the Skyhawks
The Skyhawks are 19-9 this season and 15-2 mark in conference play. UTM is tied for first in the Ohio Valley Conference standings along with Belmont. Right behind UTM is SEMO. UTM's only conference losses were to Eastern Illinois (74-70) on Jan. 23 and to the Redhawks (71-69) on Feb. 13. The Skyhawks average 71.1 points, 36.3 rebounds and 4.7 blocks per contest. Junior Chelsey Perry averages 25.9 points and 8.3 rebounds in OVC play. Perry leads the team with 51 blocks and 29 three-pointers. She is a six-time OVC Player of the Week this season. Perry is a semifinalist for Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year. 

Redhawks Make the 2020 OVC Tournament
The Redhawks are in the 2020 Ohio Valley Conference Basketball Tournament for the fourth straight season. SEMO has secured one of the top three seeds in the tournament and that is SEMO's highest finish since the 2007-08 campaign. The last time SEMO advanced past the first round of the tournament was in 2008. The Redhawks fell to No. 4 seeded Eastern Illinois, 52-40, in the semifinals that year. The last OVC Championship that SEMO won was in 2007 when the top-seeded Redhawks edged No. 2 seed Murray State, 62-60. For information on the 2020 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament visit here. Final seeding for the tournament will not be official until the conclusion of the games Saturday evening. 

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament
The OVC Basketball Championship will be held at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana again this year. The Championship will feature 14 games of basketball action spanning four days as teams compete to capture the OVC title and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The opening rounds of the 2020 OVC Basketball Championships begin on Wednesday, March 4. The championship games will be played on Saturday, March 7, 2020. 

Shephard Breaks Records
Carrie Shephard has made 82 three-pointers this season, setting the single-season record in 3-pointers made. Shephard holds the top two single-season marks after draining 73 made 3-pointers a year ago. Shephard made 155 three-pointers in her career thus far and stands fourth on SEMO's all-time career list. Julie Meier (1991-1995) holds the record with 174 three-pointers made.

Redhawks Nationally Ranked
The Redhawks rank in the top 20 nationally in offensive rebounds per game (5th, 16.2), rebounds margin (14th, 8.9), rebounds (6th, 1,185), and rebounds per game (8th, 43.89). SEMO leads the OVC in offensive rebounds per game (16.2), rebound margin (8.9), rebounds (1,185), rebounds per game (43.89), scoring margin (10.9), scoring offense (73.2), and won/lost percentage (77.8). Individually, Tesia Thompson is ranked in free throws made (19th, 131) and free throws attempted (24th, 166). 

Shephard Reaches Top 20
Guard Carrie Shephard ranks among the top NCAA women's basketball players in various categories. The Steele, Missouri native is ranked in 3-point field goals per game (11th, 3.00), 3-point field goals made (10th, 81), 3-point field attempted (16th, 206), and steals (42nd, 63). Shephard leads the OVC in each of these categories.

11-Game Winning Streak Ends
Southeast Missouri was on a season-long 11-game winning streak before falling to Jacksonville State on Feb. 20. The streak began with a 83-54 win over Tennessee State on Jan. 11. SEMO is 10-1 at home this season. The 11-game winning streak was the longest in the Ohio Valley Conference and was tied for the seventh longest streak in Division I women's basketball. The last time the Redhawks held a winning streak this long was during the 2007-08 campaign. SEMO won 12-straight games and finished with a 17-3 mark in OVC play to win the regular-season title that year. 

Play4Kay 
Southast Missouri is participating in the 2020 Play4Kay National Free Throw Challenge. Fans can support the Redhawks by pledging for every free throw made during the month of February or with a one-time donation. For more information about SEMO's Play4Kay visit GoSoutheast.com/Play4Kay. All proceeds benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. To learn more about Kay Yow Cancer Fund, please visit www.kayyow.com.

Block Party
Redshirt-junior LaTrese Saine registered 42 blocks this season, landing her eighth among the school's single-season leaders. Chandra Brown (2004-05) holds the record with 49 blocks in a single season. Saine has 103 blocks in her career, putting her fourth among SEMO's career leaders. Vera Roberts (1986-90) holds the career record with 115 blocks. 

1,000 Point Club
Junior Tesia Thompson became just the 10th Redhawk in the Division I era to surpass 1,000 career points. She reached this milestone at Ole Miss (Dec. 14) in the first quarter. In her career, Thompson averages 15.8 points per contest. She was sidelined for three games earlier this season due to a concussion. Olivia Hackmann (2012-2017) was the last Redhawk to score over 1,000 points. 

Thompson Scores Big
Junior Tesia Thompson has 1,369 points in her career at Southeast Missouri. Thompson is eighth all-time on the school's career scoring list. Gray C. Harris (1992-1996) holds the scoring title with 2,176 career-points. Thompson currently has 442 points this season, averaging 18.4 per contest. 

Non-Conference Play
The Redhawks finished their non-conference slate with a 8-3 record. SEMO dropped games to Eastern Michigan (64-69, Nov. 19), Saint Louis (76-61, Dec. 3) and Western Illinois (97-91, Dec. 17). The Redhawks blew past SEC's Ole Miss (70-53, Dec. 14) and Harris-Stowe (106-64, Dec. 29), and beat Evansville (83-60, Nov. 10), Arkansas State (79-67, Nov. 13), Purdue-Fort Wayne (58-48, Nov. 21), Southern Illinois (79-65, Dec. 7) and Indiana State (68-55, Dec. 21). Carrie Shephard leads the team with 18.4 points and 3.7 three-pointers per game. SEMO was undefeated when leading at halftime and forced 15-plus turnovers in all but one contest during its non-conference season.

Redhawks Topple Ole Miss
Southeast Missouri recorded a dominating 70-53 win over SEC member Ole Miss for its first road win over an SEC school in program history. The win was SEMO's second all-time against a SEC foe and first since the Redhawks beat Missouri, 90-71, at home on Nov. 24, 1998. The Redhawks started a season with wins in six of their first eight games for the first time since 1993-94.