FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Alijah Martin scored 14 points and three teammates also scored in double figures as No. 8 Florida defeated Arkansas 71-63 on Saturday.
Alex Condon, Will Richard and Walton Clayton Jr. scored 12 points apiece for the Gators (15-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference), who were coming off a 73-43 win over top-ranked Tennessee on Tuesday.
Adou Thiero scored nine of his 17 points from the line for Arkansas (11-5, 0-3), which started conference play 0-3 for the second straight season and for the third time in four years.
First-year Arkansas coach John Calipari fell to 0-3 in conference play for the first time since 1988-89, his first year of college coaching at Massachusetts.
Florida limited Arkansas to 30% (18 for 6) shooting and 3 for 16 from 3-point range. The Gators scored 19 second-chance points compared to six for Arkansas, and 19 bench points compared to seven for the Razorbacks.
Takeaways
Florida: The Gators are poised to take a leap from No. 9 in the rankings after a dominating win and a hard-fought road victory during the week.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks’ 0-3 start in conference play is not insurmountable, but they are well short of preseason projections in Calipari’s first year.
Key moment
Richard and Condon hit back with a combined 7-0 run after Arkansas pulled with five points with about six minutes left.
Key stat
Arkansas closed the game with free throws. The Razorbacks outscored Florida 24-13 from the line. The Gators otherwise dominated, including outscoring Arkansas by 15 points from 3-point range.
Up next
Florida travels to Missouri on Tuesday. Arkansas plays at LSU on Tuesday.
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