This post was updated Feb. 19 at 9:31 p.m.

The Den had laid out blue and yellow “Denography” pamphlets throughout the Pauley Pavilion lower bowl in anticipation of Monday’s top-10 matchup. 

As Nya Reed closed out floor and the torn-up paper rained down in the stands around her, she didn’t know the teams’ exact scores except that the Bruins and Red Rocks were close.

“That kind of gave me fuel to try to do the best we could do,” the graduate student said. “Unfortunately, I can’t control scores.”

Despite a season-high vault outing, perfection from sophomore Selena Harris and a warm welcome back to Westwood for its alumni, No. 9 UCLA gymnastics faltered in the second half and fell to No. 4 Utah 197.300-196.975 at Pauley Pavilion. After three consistent team outings, the Bruins dropped below 197 for the third time this season.

“That’s something we got to work on moving forward – to make sure that our energy and things that we can control is what stays at the forefront of our mind throughout a competition,” said coach Janelle McDonald.

Despite leading through two rotations, UCLA stumbled on beam with a 48.875 – its lowest score since the Bruins counted a fall in the season opener. 

All six members of the lineup failed to breach 9.850, and the Bruins counted three scores of 9.750 or lower. Harris’ routine received a 9.700/9.850 split for her only event score below 9.950.

McDonald said she checked with the chief judge following the rotation and Harris’ anchor routine to ensure the judging remained consistent across routines.

“From one event to the next, if they want to be a little bit tight with judging, that’s fine as long as they’re going to be consistent,” McDonald said. “I felt like they did do that pretty well, and they held a consistency across the board as far as being a little bit tight with some of the numbers.”

A Pauley Pavilion floor party was not enough for the Bruins to change the tide. 

In UCLA’s second-lowest-scoring floor rotation this season, juniors Brooklyn Moors and Emily Lee stepped out of bounds. Only Harris and freshman Katelyn Rosen surpassed 9.900 for the No. 4 floor team in the nation. 

Meanwhile, across the arena, the No. 3-ranked beam squad had taken the stage. Disagreements between the beam judges  – including another 0.150-point split – contributed to the Red Rocks’ scoring below their season average, but Utah ultimately came out on top.

The Red Rocks added to their three dual meet win streak with the victory, and as the J.D. Morgan Center Big Ten countdown clock ticked down, Monday marked the final head-to-head competition between Utah and UCLA. 

“I think the conference realignments are really bittersweet,” McDonald said. “There’s a lot to look forward to with them, but also, there’s a lot of history and traditions, especially with UCLA and Utah in gymnastics. There’s just been some incredible moments of incredible rivalries and back-and-forth competitions that are really memorable and really special.”

The final Pac-12 matchup between the two legacy programs was not without its wins for the Bruins, though.

Harris secured the all-around title with two 9.950s and a 10 on vault. The perfect score marks her third perfect 10 and second in as many meets. 

“It’s about time, that’s how I feel. It’s about time,” Harris said. “I’m excited. It just feels great that I know I’m getting consistent with that.”

Highlighted by Harris, UCLA began the competition with a flipped script on one of its historically weak events – vault – with a season-high 49.525, its second-highest vault team score in the last four seasons. 

Senior Chae Campbell returned to the apparatus after a one-meet break and nearly reached perfection herself with a 9.925 for her Yurchenko full. 

“It’s so interesting because in the gym, we’re just dancing at the end of the vault runway, and we’re just so relaxed when we’re training,” Harris said. “I think the biggest thing which is really good is that we talk to each other.”

Following her perfect vault, Harris claimed her 10th 9.950-plus score of the season on bars for an 11 total by the end of the meet. 

Joining UCLA on Monday were numerous Bruin alumni, who cheered with the current squad on the floor for the final rotation. 

Reed, who transferred to UCLA from Florida, said the Bruin support system extends far and beyond.

“I feel like being able to be at UCLA, everybody knows that big legacy – the Olympians, the people who just set the bar very, very high,” Reed said. “It’s great to be able to follow in their footsteps but also be able to have them as role models and inspiration.”