FAYETTEVILLE — No. 15 Missouri took the lead early with a big uneven bars performance and powered through with a school-record score to down No. 17 Arkansas 197.85 to 196.65 Friday at Barnhill Arena.
The Tigers (6-3, 3-3) nailed down the victory in the final rotation with a huge 49.55 on the balance beam as all five gymnasts scored 9.9 or better, led by 9.925s from Sienna Schreiber and Addison Lawrence.
Arkansas (3-7, 1-5 SEC) was within 0.275 heading into the final rotation with a chance to rally with a big floor score. However, Bailey Lovett and Norah Flatley had falls on back-to-back routines in the third and fourth spots.
Schreiber captured the all-around with a 39.5. Flatley was in position to win the all-around through three events, but the senior didn’t hit the landing on her first pass on the floor exercise. Flatley won the balance beam with a 9.975, tied for second with a 9.9 on the bars and was fifth on the vault (9.85).
The Tigers got off to a hot start with a 49.45 on the uneven bars, the highest score on that event in school history. Arkansas was having trouble sticking its vault landings on the same rotation and scored 49.225, allowing Missouri to take a lead of 0.225.
The margin grew to 0.275 at the halfway point with the Tigers at a school-record pace of 98.775. Jocelyn Moore, who scored a 10 on the vault last week, nailed her blind landing for an event-winning 9.975. Teammate Amari Celestine posted a 9.95 to place second on the event on which the Tigers had a 49.325.
Arkansas scored 49.275 on the bars, highlighted by 9.9s from Flatley and Reese Drotar.
The Razorbacks had a school-record 49.525 on the balance beam in the third rotation but could not gain any ground. The Tigers matched them with a 49.525 on the floor exercise, led by Moore’s 9.975 and a 9.925 from Alisa Sheremeta.