NASHVILLE, Tenn. --- Trey Thompkins led four double-figure scorers with 23 points as Georgia advanced into the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals with a 77-64 victory over Arkansas here Thursday night.

As the Eastern Division’s No. 6 seed, the Bulldogs will play Vanderbilt, which had a bye through the first round as the No. 2 seed from the East, at 9:45 p.m. (EST). The two teams split their regular-season series. Georgia won 72-58 in Athens and Vandy won the return game here two weeks later, rallying from a 5-point deficit in the final 33 seconds of regulation to win 96-94 in overtime.

“We’re certainly pleased with the win; it was a hard-fought game,” Georgia coach Mark Fox said. “We feel fortunate to win and I’m sure our kids will be excited to stay in Nashville a little while longer.”

Georgia (14-16) allowed Arkansas, the Western #3 seed, the game’s first lead before taking early control. The Bulldogs scored seven straight points, punctuated by a Chris Barnes dunk, to forge a 11-4 lead with 15:22 left in the first half. They stretched it to double figures at 18-8 on a Jeremy Price layup at the 12:44 mark.

Arkansas, however, climbed back into contention with a 7-0 run of its own. The Razorbacks (14-18) forced turnovers on two straight Georgia possessions during the run and got within 25-24 before Georgia resumed its grip on the contest. The Bulldogs closed the half on their own 7-0 run, capped by a long Ricky McPhee 3-pointer, that got them a 40-32 lead at intermission.

Georgia opened the second half with a 3-point play from Price, boosting its margin to 43-32. Arkansas fought back within a single possession just once in the final period, at 52-49 on a pair of foul shots by Mike Washington with 10:22 left. The Bulldogs answered with six straight points, the last two by Thompkins, who had pulled down one of his 14 rebounds before banking in an 8-footer at the 9:00 mark.

The Bulldogs, in fact, outrebounded Arkansas 45-28 in the game, 26-12 in the second half. “We didn’t shoot the ball particularly well early in the second half, so for us to get on the glass was really critical,” Fox said. “It was a big part of the game.”