Georgia advances in SEC women’s tournament. Up next: No. 1 South Carolina
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.
“Really, really proud of our effort, how we played,” Georgia coach Joni Taylor said. “I think everybody who came in really contributed, did something to make a play. This was a tough game. I told our team before the game started that effort was going to win the game because these are two teams that play extremely hard. Talent wasn’t going to determine the outcome. It was going to be our effort.”
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.
The team would prep for Dawn Staley and USC on Thursday night, Taylor said.
“Dawn, this is probably, in my opinion, the best team she put on the floor since she’s been at South Carolina,” Taylor said. “They’re extremely talented at all five positions. We have our work cut out for us, for sure.”
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.
Box score
GEORGIA (17-13)—Paul 1-5 2-2 4, Staiti 6-16 8-8 20, Caldwell 4-5 1-2 10, Chapman 4-10 0-2 8, Connally 7-14 1-4 16, Bates 0-1 0-0 0, Isaacs 2-5 3-4 7, Nicholson 1-1 0-0 2, Hose 0-0 0-0 0, Hubbard 0-0 1-2 1, Team 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 25-57 16-24 68
ALABAMA (18-12)—Copeland 4-7 2-3 10, Walker 4-15 0-0 11, Abrams 2-8 1-1 5, Johnson 1-4 2-3 4, Lewis 6-16 2-2 15, Craig Cruce 0-0 0-0 0, Knight 0-3 2-2 2, Barber 0-0 0-0 0, Davis 6-7 0-1 14, Richardson 0-0 0-0 0, Team 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 23-60 9-12 61
Halftime—Georgia 33-30. 3-Point Goals—Georgia 2-7 (Staiti 0-3, Caldwell 1-1, Connally 1-3), Alabama 6-21 (Walker 3-10, Abrams 0-2, Johnson 0-1, Lewis 1-5, Davis 2-3). Assists—Georgia 17 (Chapman 6), Alabama 13 (Johnson 5). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Georgia 39 (Caldwell 3-5), Alabama 33 (Copeland 4-6). Total Fouls—Georgia 14, Alabama 16. Technical Fouls—None.
Watch South Carolina vs. Georgia in SEC tournament
Who: No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 9 Georgia
What: Quarterfinals of the SEC tournament
When: Noon Friday
Where: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina
Watch: SEC Network
This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 2:26 PM.