LSU Gymnastics vs University of Florida: Aleah Finnegan's perfect 10 in vain as Gators edge out Tigers

LSU Gymnastics had a strong outing at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, on Friday night (February 23), but it just wasn't enough to edge past the home team Florida Gators. The Tigers scored a season-high team road score of 197.950 but were outdone by two-tenths of a point as the Gators accomplished a season-high of 198.150.

LSU had a slow start to the meet, with their gymnasts struggling to find their rhythm on the uneven bars. After only one score above 9.85 in the event, the Tigers were in an early deficit with a total of 49.275.

On the other hand, the Gators started their outing with a fantabulous display on the vault, posting a season-high of 49.600 on the event.

However, the tides shifted when the teams switched equipment. Reversing the results from the first rotation, the Tigers stunned on the vault, achieving a season-high of 49.550, while Florida University failed to impress on the bars with a score of 49.225. This left the two teams tied at 98.825 going into the last two events.

On the third rotation, the LSU Gymnastics were stunning with their floor routines. Aleaf Finnegan scored her second consecutive perfect 10 in the event, with Haleigh Bryant, Kiya Johnson, and KJ Johnson scoring a 9.95, while freshman Amari Drayton came in with a 9.925. The Tigers totaled a score of 49.775, tying the program’s all-time high on the floor.

Meanwhile, Florida were equally stunning in their third rotation, achieving a 49.625 on the beam. This left LSU with a minor lead of 148.600-148.450 going into the finals events.

However, as luck would have it the Tigers failed to bring their best to the balance beam, while the Gators managed to clinch a perfect 10 on the floor credit to junior Leanne Wong’s impeccable performance.

With that, the No. 5 University of Florida managed to pull off an upset and beat the higher-ranked No. 2 LSU Gymnastics team with a score of 198.150-197.950.

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When will LSU Gymnastics be in action again?

After the close encounter, the LSU Gymnastics team will be hungry for a win when they next get down to action on Friday, March 1. The Tigers will host No. 10 Alabama at home in the Pete Maravich Assembly Centre, with the event being televised on ESPN2.

For LSU, the last meet of the season will prove to be an incredibly important one, as they look to get a share of the SEC regular season title.

For that to happen, the Tigers will have to get the better of the Wildcats on home ground, and hope that the Florida Gators lose their meet against the University of Kentucky.

If both come true, then LSU, Alabama, and Florida will split the title three ways. However, if the Gators claim the win against Kentucky, they will lay claim to their sixth-straight outright regular season win.