Five Bruins scored career-best marks, including Sonya Meraz on all three events she competed (9.85 on bars and beam and 9.9 on floor), and Bynum, who earned 9.925 on floor for the third consecutive meet. UCLA was competing without high-scoring Christine Peng-Peng Lee, who stayed behind in Los Angeles due to illness.
The Bruins (5-1) led the entire meet, grabbing the lead after scoring 49.125 on bars as Stanford (4-5-1) was scoring 48.675 on vault. Francis led the team on the event with a leadoff mark of 9.875.
Stanford cut UCLA's lead to 0.175 at the halfway mark by scoring 49.425 on bars, led by Ivana Hong's 9.975. Still, the Bruins were strong on vault, totaling 49.35. UCLA's first three competitors scored 9.85, with Jennifer Pinches starting the rotation with a stuck Yurchenko layout full and career-best score. JaNay Honest also scored a career-high. Angi Cipra scored 9.85, and Bynum earned 9.875. Peszek cranked out a meet-winning 9.9, and Jordan Williams added a 9.875.
UCLA went lights out on floor exercise with a season-high 49.45. Piches earned a season-best 9.85, and Mikaela Gerber scored her career-best with a matching score. Meraz picked up her first career 9.9 mark, a score that was matched immediately after by Francis. Cipra scored 9.875, and Bynum continued her mastery on floor, winning her third-straight meet with her 9.925. Stanford, meanwhile, had to count a fall on balance beam, finishing with 48.525 and falling behind by a point.
A fall by Gerber, her first all season, in the leadoff position on beam made things precarious for the Bruins in the final rotation, but the remaining competitors stepped up big to ensure the 197 score for the team. Meraz followed with a career-best 9.85, and Sophina DeJesus added a 9.825. In the beam lineup for the first time as a Bruin, Williams performed a 9.75 routine that was flawless except for one big balance break. Francis earned 9.875, the highest beam score of the night, and Peszek closed with a score of 9.85 to ensure the team season-best.
UCLA will next host Nebraska, Sacramento State and Bridgeport on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 4pm in Pauley Pavilion.