Feb. 14, 2000

SALT LAKE CITY - The fifth-ranked UCLA Gymnastics team came into Utah's Huntsman Center trying to do what no other visiting team has been able to do since 1979 - win a regular season home meet in Salt Lake City. While the Bruins were unable to break Utah's long-standing winning streak, now at 155 meets, UCLA still scored a respectable 195.15 to Utah's 196.35.

Freshman Malia Jones (Sparks, Nev.) stood out for the Bruins, scoring a career-high 39.425 to place second to Utah's Denise Jones (39.6). Malia Jones won bars with a career-high 9.925, tied for second on beam with a career-high 9.875, placed seventh on vault with a career-high tying 9.825 and tied for ninth on floor with a 9.8.

The Bruins started the meet on bars and had to count two falls, leading to a first-rotation score of 48.225. However, they came back with a vengeance on vault, tying their season-high of 49.4. Senior Lena Degteva (Mississauga, Ont.) took first place with a career-high tying 9.925. Onnie Willis (Tacoma, Wash.) also hit a new career mark with a 9.875. With those vault scores, the Bruins took the lead after two rotations, 97.625-97.575, as Utah also struggled on bars.

All six Bruins hit on floor for a 49.275, including Doni Thompson (Olympia, Wash.) with a career-high 9.8, but the team was victimized by a puzzling one-tenth deduction on Degteva's routine for being over time. Utah, meanwhile, was rock-solid on beam, scoring 49.35 to take a .025 lead heading into the final rotation.

Utah pulled away with a 49.425 team score on floor, while the Bruins again had to count two falls on beam, scoring just 48.25 despite Thompson's career-high tying 9.8 and Jones' career-high 9.875.

UCLA (10-5, 4-0 in the Pac-10), whose five-meet win streak came to an end, will next face Oregon State, Cal State Fullerton and San Jose State in the UCLA Invitational in Pauley Pavilion at 2:00 pm on Sunday, Feb. 20.

TEAM RESULTS
1. Utah 196.35
2. UCLA 195.15

ALL-AROUND RESULTS
1. Denise Jones, Utah 39.6
2. Malia Jones, UCLA 39.425
3. Deidra Graham, Utah 39.15

INDIVIDUAL EVENT WINNERS
VAULT:
1. Lena Degteva, UCLA 9.925*
2T. Denise Jones, Utah 9.9
2T. Heidi Moneymaker, UCLA 9.9

BARS:
1. Malia Jones, UCLA 9.925*
2T. Heidi Moneymaker, UCLA 9.9
2T. Denise Jones, Utah 9.9

BEAM:
1. Ashley Kever, Utah 9.95
2T. Malia Jones, UCLA 9.875*
2T. Theresa Wolf, Utah 9.875

FLOOR:
1. Denise Jones, Utah 9.95
2. Heidi Moneymaker,UCLA 9.925
3. Kylee Wagner, Utah 9.9

*career-high