Alabama Comes from Behind with Season Bests on Beam, Floor to Beat Auburn in Power of Pink
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It literally came down to the last routine, and all the focus and pressure of the rivalry meet landed on the shoulders of Luisa Blanco's floor routine.
Auburn's Suni Lee had just scored her second perfect 10 of the meet on the balance beam immediately before Blanco's final routine. With all eyes of a sold-out Coleman Coliseum watching Blanco for the Power of Pink meet, she delivered. Despite all the pressure, Blanco said she was able to block out the noise and focus on her routine.
The crowd exploded as Blanco landed her final pass and broke out into an even louder cheer when her score 9.975 from the judges secured the win for the Crimson Tide.
"I could feel my goosebumps coming in and the jitters and the fact that we all were just like matching each other's energy at that same level," Blanco said. "I wish I could describe it, but you just had to be there."
Blanco's 9.975 capped Alabama's best floor rotation in program history with a 49.700 on the way to the 197.850-197.700 win over the Auburn Tigers. She also scored her first perfect 10 of the season on the balance beam.
It marked a comeback for the Crimson Tide, as Alabama was trailing after every rotation.
"I'm just so proud of this team," Alabama head coach Ashley Johnston said after the win. "I think it says a lot about who they are as people that they don't give up. They continue to put the work in, they continue to fight. And that's what this night was all about."
Blanco called Johnston the "calmest person she knows" and despite the possibilty of Auburn winning in Tuscaloosa for the first time ever heading into the final rotation, Johnston said she felt calm because she trusted her gymnasts and their training.
The meet didn't get off to a great start for Alabama. Makarri Doggette fell on vault, so the Crimson Tide had to count two scores in the 9.7-range and trailed Auburn by .225 after the Tigers started strong on bars with a 49.400.
Doggette bounced back strong in the next rotation with a 9.95 on the uneven bars. Alabama improved on the second rotation but couldn't cut into the Tigers lead as both teams scored a 49.325 on the second rotation.
That's when the flip switched for Alabama. The Crimson Tide totaled season highs on both the balance beam (49.650) and floor exercise (49.700), which led to the overall season high team total of 197.850.
Lilly Hudson and Blanco were the final two performers on both rotations. Hudson scored a 9.975 on both events (career highs), and Blanco had the 10 on beam and 9.975 on floor. Both gymnasts said the way this meet finished is a memory they will cherish forever.
"You can just see like the look on everybody's faces—like everybody wants it so bad," Hudson said after the meet. "Auburn's a great team, and so are we. And so it was just amazing to see that level of gymnastics put out there."
Even though there is technically no offense or defense in gymnastics, at times it seemed like a heavyweight battle between Lee and Blanco. The Team USA Olympian was as good as advertised and came away with the all-around title, scoring a 39.825. Blanco finished second with a 39.750. Lee had two 10s. Blanco had one.
After the meet, Blanco said she and Lee grew up together in the elite gymnastics track.
"It's not even like a head-to-head thing, it's she pushes me to be a better gymnast," Blanco said. "And she's the Olympic champion for a reason. I give my respect to her, and her gymnastics is beautiful… That’s what competing in the SEC is about— competing with the best.”
In her first meet facing the rival and her former team as head coach, Johnston came away with the win. It also marked the second week in a row that Alabama has scored above a 197, and the highest score her team has put up in her young career.
"I love this team," Johnston said. "I love that they have embraced me. With six seniors, they could have been stuck in old ways, but they weren't. They embraced me and were open to changes."
And there's no doubt that this will not be the last time these two teams face each other this season. They will meet again at the SEC Championships in March and could match up in NCAAs as well. Johnston feels that both teams have what it takes to go all the way to a national title.
But for now, the team is celebrating the victory after a special Friday night in Coleman Coliseum.
"I’m still on a high," Hudson said. "I don’t think I’m going to sleep tonight.”
See also:
Live Updates: No. 11 Alabama Gymnastics vs. No. 6 Auburn
How to Watch: No. 4 Alabama Basketball at LSU
Midseason Report Card: Grading No. 4 Alabama Halfway Through Conference Play
