COLUMBIA, Mo. — Gabby Connally scored 29 points, sinking six 3-pointers, Jenna Staiti scored 12 of her 18 points after halftime and No. 24 Georgia broke away from Missouri 82-64 Sunday afternoon.
Breaking out of a 35-35 halftime tie, Georgia (16-4, 8-4 Southeastern Conference) shot 47% in the second half, with Connally making five of the Bulldogs six 3-pointers.
Ladazhia Williams led Missouri (7-9, 3-8) with 17 points with Haley Troup and Hayley Frank adding 14 each. Troup was 2 for 2 from distance, Frank was 3 for 3 from behind the arc.
Staiti, who was held to six points at halftime, opened the third quarter with a layup to break the tie and scored eight points in the first five minutes. She finished with her 11th double-double in the last 29 games, pulling down 11 rebounds. Connally buried a 3-pointer to break a 39-39 tie three minutes after halftime and the Bulldogs led the rest of the way,
Que Morrison added 11 points and 10 rebounds and four assists for Georgia.
Missouri continued a trend of fading in the second half against ranked opponents. After committing just three turnovers in the first half, the Tigers turned the ball over 12 times in the second, giving up 29 points to Georgia.
Through first eight minutes of third quarter Mizzou had six misses and six turnovers as Georgia broke away.
With Tuesday’s Vanderbilt game canceled, Georgia next plays host to No. 16 Tennessee next Sunday, Feb. 21. Missouri continues its trek through the ranks of Top 25 opponents, traveling to take on No. 6 Texas A&M, completing a rugged stretch of scheduling that saw No. 1 South Carolina, 24 Georgia and the Aggies in 10 days.
