LOS ANGELES — No. 9 UCLA gymnastics recovered from a rocky start at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday afternoon and had a win in sight, but two Cal Berkeley gymnasts scored perfect 10.0s to take the meet 198.400-197.775 and hand the Bruins their second straight loss.
UCLA had some ground to make up after scoring a season-low 49.125 on vault, which allowed No. 3 Cal to take the lead after the first rotation.
Two career-best scores on uneven bars gave UCLA a boost in the next rotation and their best event score of the season at 49.450. Frida Esparza and Chae Campbell reached 9.950 for career-highs and Selena Harris recorded her third straight 9.950 to all tie for first place.
The Golden Bears led 99.00-98.700 at the midway point of the meet.
The Bruins had the lead in sight after scoring a 49.450 on balance beam. Emily Lee scored a leadoff 9.950 and Chae Campbell reached 9.925 in her first performance in the event since Jan. 6 at the Super 16 quad meet.
eMjae Frazier, younger sister of UCLA gymnast Margzetta Frazier, came up with a perfect 10.0 on floor to close out the event for the Golden Bears and give them a 148.675-149.150 advantage.
Every UCLA gymnast recorded a 9.900 or higher on floor exercise. Emily Lee tied a career-best 9.900 and Emma Andres hit a career-high 9.925. The Bruins were dealt a major deduction when one gymnast landed out of bounds, but Nya Reed finished with a 9.950 for second place to give UCLA a 49.475 team score.
Mya Lauzon had Cal’s second perfect 10.0 on balance beam to secure the win.
UCLA next takes a two-meet road trip against Stanford and Arizona State before returning to Pauley Pavilion to host ACC opponent Clemson on March 16.
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