Alabama gymnastics lost its annual Power of Pink meet Friday night, scoring a 196.475 to fall short of the Gators’ 197.325 total.

The score was the Crimson Tide’s lowest since its second meet of the season on Jan. 11, but the team and coach Dana Duckworth remained in good spirits afterward.

“We had some mistakes, really on every event, and we kept pushing and fighting,” Duckworth said. “I pulled the team together at one point and I said what matters is how we finish strong.”

After two gymnasts fell off the balance beam, all but ending Alabama’s hopes of beating the No. 2-ranked Gators, the team rebounded on the floor exercise. Junior Shea Mahoney and sophomore Lexi Graber each scored a 9.95, tying the team’s highest individual score in any event this season.

Mahoney’s night began by walking with two cancer survivors she met while volunteering at the Manderson Cancer Center and ended with a routine Duckworth called “stunning” that earned the second 10.0 from a judge in her Alabama career.

“It was a really special night… to be able to walk out two incredible women tonight,” Mahoney said. “They were like, ‘Good luck tonight,’ and I was like, ‘This meet is for you. Thank you for inspiring me and thank you for putting so much joy in all of our hearts.’

“We had to fight a lot tonight. It didn’t go exactly the wanted it to or the way we planned it to, but it made me think back. These ladies’ lives haven’t gone exactly the way they had planned either. They never stopped fighting, so why would we stop fighting?”

Between Mahoney and Graber, freshman Emily Gaskins made her home debut on the floor, thrilling the crowd with her routine set to a medley of “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Dixieland Delight.”

The Crimson Tide’s final floor score was 49.450, its highest in any event since last year’s SEC Championship meet.

That season-best performance was immediately preceded by a 48.675 on the balance beam, the team’s lowest event score since the same Jan. 11 meet. Senior Abby Armbrecht fell off the beam, earning a 9.225, followed by Gaskins doing the same en route to a 9.275.

Another mistake by Graber in the anchor spot would have been disastrous, if the two falls weren’t already. The senior rose the occasion, tying her career high with 9.925 while the apt “Girl on Fire” played.

“I just get up there and try to focus on my training and not really let (the mistakes) affect me and affect my performance,” Graber said. “I can’t wait for the day that we put it together all at once because we are amazing and we are a force to be reckoned with.”

Alabama opened with identical scores of 49.175 on vault and bars, which was above the season average for both events. Even the underwhelming beam score barely lowered the team’s average due to early-season struggles.

Senior Ari Guerra tied her career best with a 9.9 on bars, in addition to a 9.8 on floor and a 9.875 on a new vault. Other career highs set or tied included Armbrecht’s 9.875 on vault, freshman Jensie Givens’ 9.8 on bars and freshman Shallon Olsen’s 9.85 on beam.

No. 9 Alabama continues its SEC schedule at No. 13 Kentucky on Feb. 22 before returning to Coleman Coliseum to host No. 11 Auburn on March 1.