Utah Victorious In Top 5 Matchup

Utah Victorious In Top 5 Matchup

Over the weekend, a sold-out crowd packed into the Huntsman Center for what they knew would be a heated battle between No. 4 UCLA and No. 5 Utah -- and both teams brought the heat.

Feb 21, 2017 by Alexis Moon Moon
Utah Victorious In Top 5 Matchup
The Huntsman Center packed in a sold-out crowd on Saturday that knew No. 5 Utah was ready to bring the heat against fourth-ranked UCLA. After falling to the Bruins in Los Angeles last year and being edged out at Oregon State last week, the host Utes had something to prove in Salt Lake City.

Behind three straight 9.95s on floor, Utah knocked off UCLA 197.875-197.500 and moved into a tie atop the Pac-12 standings with its conference rival.

Both teams delivered a strong first rotation, tying the score at 49.4. The Bruins' Kyla Ross threw down a stunning perfect 10 on bars, following up teammates Madison Kocian and Christine Peng-Peng Lee's perfect bar scores last week. Moving into the second rotation, Utah pulled ahead with another event score of 49.4 -- including senior Baely Rowe's 9.925 -- to UCLA's 49.2. The Bruins notched two 9.925s on floor, and Rowe brought another 9.925 to beam.

null 

Heading into the final rotation, Utah opened with an almost error-free beam set to add two-10ths to its lead. Mossett scored a 9.9 on beam, followed by 9.95s from Kocian and sophomore Katelyn Ohashi. In a buzzing Huntsman Center, the host Red Rocks threw down an explosive floor set of 9.85 from Macey Roberts, 9.9 from Tiffani Lewis, 9.925 from Missy Reinstadtler, and three 9.95s in a row from Rowe, MaKenna Merrell, and freshman MyKayla Skinner. Skinner won the all-around for the seventh straight time this season. She has been honored as Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week four times and has proven to be a powerful addition to Utah's team.

The Red Rocks will travel to Tempe, Arizona, to go head-to-head with Pac-12 rival Arizona State on Saturday, February 25, while UCLA hosts Arizona at Pauley Pavilion. Check beck here to keep up with both teams as they compete through the rest of the season.

Related:
Kyla Ross Notches Perfect 10 On Uneven Bars At Utah