The Arkansas women’s basketball team still is looking for its first SEC victory in this month.
Florida committed 25 turnovers but held off the Razorbacks 57-53 on Thursday night at Exactech Arena in Gainesville, Fla.
Arkansas (13-11, 2-9 SEC) has lost five consecutive, including three in a row in February. The Razorbacks’ last victory was Jan. 19 against Vanderbilt in Fayetteville.
Jessica Jackson led the Razorbacks with 17 points. Jailyn Mason had 13 points and Devin Cosper added 10 points.
The Gators (12-12, 3-8) were led by Ronni Williams, who had 15 points and 12 rebounds. Haley Lorenzen scored 14 points while Sydney Morang had 12 points. Florida, which shot 35.7 percent (20 of 56) from the floor, snapped a two-game losing streak with Thursday’s victory.
Arkansas led 42-39 with 9:04 left, but Florida went on a 9-0 run to take a 48-42 lead with 5:58 to play.
Jackson’s layup cut the lead to 52-50 with 1:01 left, but Williams hit a jumper for a 54-50 lead with 44 seconds to play. Mason came back with a three-pointer to pull the Razorbacks within 54-53 with 34 seconds remaining.
Florida turned it over on its next possession, but Jackson missed a layup with 10 seconds left and Mason fouled Dyandria Anderson. Anderson made two free throws for a 56-53 advantage with seven seconds left. Arkansas turned the ball over with three seconds left, and Anderson was fouled and made one of two free throws to set the final score.
Arkansas trailed 23-21 at halftime but went on a 12-0 run in the third quarter to take a 35-30 lead with 5:34 to play in the quarter. Florida regained the lead by one point going into the fourth quarter.