MARTIN, Tenn. – Chelsey Perry scored 38 points as UT Martin (20-9, 16-2) held off Southeast Missouri (23-7, 14-4), 78-72, Saturday afternoon at the Elam Center.

With the loss, SEMO will head to next week's eight-team Ohio Valley Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed.

SEMO made a big push in the fourth quarter and took its first lead of the game when Denisha Gardener scored off a nice pass from Carrie Shephard to put the Redhawks ahead, 64-63, with 6:24 left to play.

The Redhawks went up by one again on a pair of free throws by Roshala Scott. Scott's free throws capped an 11-2 run and gave SEMO a 66-65 edge at the 5:29 mark.

The game would not be any more than a two-possession contest the rest of the way.

Dasia Young knocked down two free throws to give the Skyhawks a 76-70 advantage with 21 seconds left before Perry hit two free throws to send UTM to its 78-72 win.

Although it didn't lead, SEMO heated up to shoot 54.5 percent from 3-point range in the first half.

Shephard buried five of her team's six 3-pointers in the game's opening 20 minutes.

SEMO was within a point on three occasions in the first half. Taelour Pruitt buried a 3-pointer to make it a 36-35 game with 1:09 left to play in the second quarter. Maddie Waldrop split a pair of free throws to gee the Skyhawks a 37-35 edge at halftime.

Perry shot 14-of-26 from the field and 9-of-11 at the free throw line in 40 minutes. She also drew 11 fouls, grabbed six rebounds, dished out six assists and had three steals.

Shephard led SEMO with 22 points and knocked down six of SEMO's eight 3-pointers for the afternoon. Tesia Thompson added 11 points.

SEMO outrebounded UTM by a +11 margin (38-27). The Redhawks also won the fourth quarter by a 19-17 mark.

The Redhawks open postseason play at 3 p.m., CT, on Thursday, Mar. 5. This year's OVC Tournament will be held at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.