Georgia women advance to face No. 1 South Carolina in SEC

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Jenna Staiti scored 16 of her 20 points in the second half and secured a double-double as Georgia beat Alabama 68-61 in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Thursday.

Staiti had a big third quarter, scoring six of her 10 points and grabbing seven of her 12 second-half rebounds as Georgia build a 53-46 lead. She finished with 14 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season, and scored at least 20 for the sixth straight game.

Georgia (17-13) will face top-seeded South Carolina in the first quarterfinal game on Friday. The No. 9 seed Lady Bulldogs lost to the Gamecocks, the top team in the AP Top 25 poll, 88-53 in late January.

Gabby Connally added 16 points for Georgia. Freshman Chloe Chapman and Jordan Isaacs combined for 13 points in the first half as Georgia led 33-30.

Jordan Lewis scored 15 points and Brittany Davis added 14 for Alabama (18-12), the No. 8 seed.