Bryant leads No. 13 LSU to outshine No. 12 Mizzou

BATON ROUGE, The. – Ninth-ranked LSU gymnastics picked up its first win of the season against No. 12 Missouri in the PMAC on Saturday night with a score of 197.150-196.525.

“Overall, I am pleased. There are many good things that happened tonight. We won, but we must be able to handle prosperity. When you start to meet out and you are almost at 99,000, you must be able to put the hammer down, and I think this is a lesson that will did it tonight,” head coach Jay Clark said.

“I like this bunch. They’re gritty, and you’ve seen that over and over again. They don’t stop and they know that when they make a mistake, what happens next is the most important thing. I’m proud of who they are and I’m proud of their struggle, but they also know that we have to get better if we want to be the team they want to be.”

The Tigers got off to a hot start on vault, scoring a season high of 49.475 in an event highlighted by junior Haleigh Bryant’s perfect score on the anchor spot. Junior Elena Arenas led the way with a 9.825, followed by senior Alyona Shchennikova who scored a 9.875. Junior Chase Brock scored a season high 9.850 on the third spot as well as sophomore KJ Johnson who scored a 9.900. Sophomore Aleah Finnegan added another 9.850 before Bryant anchored with a 10 to take the title.

The perfect 10 marked Bryant’s first of the season and sixth of his career.

In the second rotation, sophomore Alexis Jeffrey led off with a career-high 9.925 to set the tone and earn her first title in the event. Arenas followed with a 9.850 in second place. Sophomore Tori Tatum had a career night in the double routine and scored a 9.900. Finnegan added another 9.850 in fourth place and Bryant earned a 9.900.

LSU finished the second rotation with a 49.425 and continued to lead as the squad moved on to beam.

At home the Tigers were able to bounce back after a rough start on the beam as Finnegan anchored with a 9.950 to take the title for the night. It was a career high performance from the sophomore. Bryant kept his composure and added a strong routine to finish fifth with a 9.900.

LSU leads Missouri 147,850-147,575 heading into the final rotation in the PMAC.

In the main event, junior Sierra Ballard brought the energy with a 9.850 performance. Shchennikova followed with a strong 9.875 routine. KJ Johnson recorded a season-high 9.925 on floor and Bryant scored a 9.950 to finish the night in fashion.

Bryant earned his fourth straight title against Missouri, as he matched his career high with 39.750. The junior also took titles on vault and floor, moving his individual titles to 11 this season.

Finnegan’s title on beam moved her total to three on the year.

The Tigers will be back in action on Saturday, January 27, as the team hits the road to face Arkansas at 8 pm CT on the SEC Network.