UCLA Gymnastics, Oregon State Tie Dual Meet After Score Inquiry

It appeared as if the Bruins had locked up the win at Pauley Pavilion, but the judges changed the Beavers' score at the very end.

The Bruins nearly came away with a victory in their home opener, but a last-second adjustment changed the result.

No. 6 UCLA gymnastics and No. 16 Oregon State wound up tying their dual meet at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday, with each side scoring 197.275. The Bruins were in position to win 197.275-197.225 before a late inquiry bumped the Beavers' score up by 0.050 after the victors had already been announced.

Amid the late drama, sophomore Jordan Chiles and her former Olympic teammate Jade Carey dominated the meet. The two tied atop the leaderboards on floor while Chiles won bars and Carey won on vault and beam.

UCLA opened things up on vault with three straight 9.825s from redshirt senior Margzetta Frazier, freshman Maddie Anyimi and sophomore Emily Lee. Junior Chae Campbell and freshman Selena Harris followed that up with back-to-back 9.925s, then Chiles anchored the rotation with a 9.900.

That put the Bruins up 49.400-49.175, and they stayed up after their turn on the uneven bars.

Campbell led off with another 9.825, but sophomore Ana Padurariu went next and scored a 9.325. Coach Janelle McDonald inquired about Padurariu's score since the bars appeared to be loose, and it was eventually bumped up to a 9.875.

Senior Kalyany Steele got a 9.850, with Harris posting a 9.925 and Chiles getting a 9.975 immediately after. Frazier ended the rotation with a 9.825, and the Bruins extended their lead to 0.475.

That advantage was short-lived, however, as Oregon State pulled ahead after its turn on floor.

Lee led off UCLA's beam rotation with a 9.900, but that was the peak of the event for the team. Freshman Ciena Alipio earned a 9.800, then Campbell got a 8.825. Chiles and Harris recovered with a 9.850 and 9.875, respectively, but sophomore Emma Malabuyo fell and got stuck with a 9.375.

Due to Campbell's earlier mishaps, Malabuyo's score counted against the Bruins, and they went into the final rotation down 0.225.

Lee once again started things off with a steady 9.850, and Malabuyo bounced back with a 9.875. Harris then kicked off a run of four straight scores over 9.900 to end the meet with a 9.925.

Frazier earned a 9.900 with her routine, Chiles stuck a 9.975 and Campbell scored a 9.950 to round out McDonald's first floor routine in Pauley Pavilion in front of 7,702 fans. It marked the highest floor score of the year for the Bruins, and it momentarily appeared to win them the match.

It didn't turn out to be a straight up victory for UCLA, but their 197.275 team score was tied for their second-best outing of the young season despite counting a fall. 

UCLA's next meet will be at Utah on Feb. 3. That showdown is set to begin at 6 p.m. and it will be televised on ESPN2.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF JESUS RAMIREZ/UCLA ATHLETICS