COLUMBIA, MO — The No. 3 LSU Gymnastics team fell on the road to No. 9 Missouri by a score of 197.325-197.225 on Friday night in the Hearnes Center.
“We are obviously disappointed with that result. We still had a chance to win going into the last routine,” said head coach Jay Clark. “The good news is that it’s a regular season meet, but the bad news is that it’s a missed opportunity. If we’re going to be the team that I think we are, then we can’t have this drop in execution on the road. We’re going to go home and get better.”
LSU had a solid start on bars as Alexis Jeffrey led off with a 9.875 followed by Ashley Cowan, who matched her career high and posted a 9.90. Kiya Johnson kept it rolling with her 9.85 in the third spot. Savannah Schoenherr and Haleigh Bryant finished the rotation strong with their scores of 9.85 and 9.925, respectively.
Bryant’s performance earned her the victory on bars, moving her total to 10 on the event and 66 in her career. The win ties her at seventh all-time in the school records with Jeanie Beadle for most individual titles.
LSU scored a 49.400 in the first event of the night while Missouri started with a 49.425 on vault.
The visiting Tigers moved on to vault, where KJ Johnson posted a leadoff score of 9.875. Schoenherr and Bryant both recorded 9.90’s for the Tigers while Kiya Johnson added a 9.850. It was a 49.325 for LSU in the second rotation of the night.
Missouri held onto the lead at the halfway point in the Hearnes Center by a score of 98.825-98.725.
Sierra Ballard opened with a 9.775 on floor for LSU. The freshmen duo of Konnor McClain and Amari Drayton showed out for the Tigers as they both earned a 9.875. Kiya Johnson closed out the event with a 9.90. The Tigers finished with a 49.150 on the floor.
LSU took their first lead of the night in the third rotation as the battle of the Tigers continued into the final rotation of the night. It was a 147.875-147.725 LSU lead heading into beam.
Ballard set the tone for the Tigers in the final rotation with her 9.85 in the leadoff spot. Kiya Johnson and Bryant added scores of 9.90 and 9.85 for the Tigers. After falling in her first routine of the night on bars, McClain went unphased and recorded a perfect 10 on beam for the first of her career and helped LSU to a 49.350 finish on beam.
McClain’s 10 on beam earned her the victory on the night. She now owns two titles through four meets of her freshman campaign. Her other title came after she recorded a perfect score on bars two weeks ago.
LSU fell short on the night and Missouri came out on top of the dual meet in Columbia. Johnson finished as the top all-around performer on the night with a score of 39.500. The title moves her career total to 43 in the Purple & Gold.
The Tigers are back in action on Friday, February 2 as they host Arkansas at 7:30 p.m. CT in the PMAC. The competition will be streamed on SEC Network +.
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