Utah's gymnasts didn't just beat the Washington Huskies on Saturday, they floored them.
In an unexpectedly close meet following some eyebrow-raising judging over the balance beam, the sixth-ranked Utes (5-1, 3-1) beat the Huskies 197.125-196.25 in front of 15,503 at the Huntsman Center.
Utah went into the final rotation leading the Huskies (3-6, 2-2) just 147.6-147.25 after some surprisingly low scores for what looked like strong balance beam routines by the Utes.
But rather than get nervous and tight, the Utes seemed a little irked by the situation, in a good way.
The fired up Utes put together a 49.525 effort on the floor to make sure they remained undefeated at home against the Huskies, winning for the 22nd time in the series in Salt Lake City.
"The coaches tell us not to focus on scores so we try to focus more on going and hitting a good floor set," said senior Breanna Hughes, who won the floor with a 9.975. "Everyone was doing what they can do like we are practicing in the gym."
Utah has evolved from being a weak team on the floor to being a very good one in recent weeks, thanks to some lineup changes that put the best floor workers at the end of the lineup.
But it was hard to say anyone was weak Saturday, with leadoff gymnast MaKenna Merrell scoring 9.825 and Tiffani Lewis following with a career-high 9.925.
Utah coach Tom Farden was pleased with the efforts, calling it a "gritty" performance.
"A great week of practice leads to great meets," he said.
Even so, the meet was an odd one of sorts thanks to the inconsistent judging.
The Utes started out extremely well, scoring 49.25 on the vault and 49.3 on the uneven bars and they hit all but one routine on the balance beam.
Kailah Delaney was given a 9.275 for her miss, a score the Utes didn't seem to argue, but low scores of 9.75 for Samantha Partyka and 9.775 for Kassandra Lopez left them wondering where the big breaks were to warrant the low numbers.
"We can't control the judges," Farden said. "With Kailah that was an uncharacteristic fall from her, but I'm proud of the balance beam and the way we came back. That event is evolving and we are narrowing the gap of what we do in practice and what we do in meets so I'm really proud of them."
Saturday was the third time the Utes have scored 197 or higher, an achievement the Utes don't take lightly.
"We are starting to get into the groove," Kassandra Lopez said. "We are looking more what we look like in practice in meets but we still see room to improve."
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Kassandra Lopez performs on the bars for the Utes, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Breanna Huges dismounts from the beam for the Utes, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Breanna Huges performs on the beam for the Utes, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Samantha Partyka performs on the beam for the Utes, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Breanna Huges performs on the beam for the Utes, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Samantha Partyka performs on the beam for the Utes, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Kaliah Delaney performs on the beam for the Utes, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Baely Rowe performs on the beam for the Utes, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah teammates congratulate Kassandra Lopez on her vault, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune MaKenna Merrell performs on the floor, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Maddy Stover performs on the floor, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Maddy Stover performs on the floor, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Baely Rowe performs on the bars, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Kaliah Delaney performs on the bars, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Baely Rowe performs on the bars, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Breanna Hughes competes on the vault, in gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Tiffani Lewis competes on the floor, in gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Tiffani Lewis competes on the floor, in gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune MaKenna Merrell performs on the floor, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Tiffani Lewis performs on the floor, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Team mates congratulate Breanna Hughes after she competed on the floor for the Utes, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Breanna Hughes competes on the floor for the Utes, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Team mates congratulate Breanna Hughes after she competed on the floor for the Utes, in Gymnastics action, Utah vs. Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
