Sooners Light Up Beam in Road Win

197.875

195.950

Team Scores
	Vault	Bars	Beam	Floor
OU	49.450	49.400	49.575	49.450
UI	48.725	49.050	49.125	49.050

Event Winners
Event	Gymnast	Score
Vault	Chayse Capps (OU) Brenna Dowell (OU) Haley Scaman (OU)	9.925
Bars	Haley Scaman (OU)	9.925
Beam	Sunny Kato (UI)	9.95
Floor	Ali Jackson (OU) Haley Scaman (OU) Giana O'Conner (UI)	9.925
AA	Giana O'Conner (UI)	39.425

OU Team Highs
Event	Gymnast	Score
Vault	Chayse Capps Brenna Dowell Haley Scaman	9.925
Bars	Haley Scaman	9.925
Beam	Chayse Capps Rebecca Clark Haley Sorensen	9.925
Floor	Ali Jackson Haley Scaman	9.925

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The No. 1 Oklahoma women's gymnastics team lit up the balance beam in Illinois, using a season-high performance to earn a 197.875-195.950 win over No. 16 Illinois on Friday night.

The Sooners are now a perfect 12-0 this season and 8-0 against ranked opponents. OU will return home next weekend for the first time since January, capping a taxing six-meet road stretch with a huge performance tonight.

Junior Haley Scaman was on fire in her return to her home state. Competing in front of a large crowd of family and friends, the Riverside, Ill., native captured the event title on uneven bars (9.925) and tied for top honors on vault (9.925) and floor (9.925).

She was joined on the vault awards stand by Brenna Dowell and Chayse Capps, each with identical 9.925 efforts. Ali Jackson tied for top honors on floor with her own 9.925 alongside Giana O'Conner of Illinois.

Sunny Kato of Illinois took the beam title with a 9.95.

The night opened with a solid performance on uneven bars as OU soared to a 49.400 behind Scaman's season-best 9.925. A trio of 9.875s were key to Oklahoma's opening score, including Brenna Dowell's effort in the anchor position. Erica Brewer and Keeley Kmieciak also took home 9.875s for their performances.

Rebecca Clark started the Sooners on a strong note with a 9.85 in the lead-off position on bars. McKenzie Wofford added a 9.85 in the No. 5 spot as well.

A 9.875 from Giana O'Connor paced Illinois to a 48.725 in the first rotation. After one event, Oklahoma leapt out to a 49.400-48.725 advantage.

Three 9.925 performances on vault boosted Oklahoma to a strong 49.450 outing in the second rotation. Dowell nailed her Yurchenko 1.5 in the No. 3 spot to set a new career-high with her 9.925, and Capps and Scaman joined her atop the medal stand on the event with identical scores.

Kmieciak was solid again on vault, hitting a 9.85 in the No. 2 position to aid OU's efforts. Kara Lovan added a 9.825 in the lead-off spot, and Ali Jackson hit a 9.825 for Oklahoma.

Illinois picked up a 49.050 on bars behind a 9.85 from Mary Jane Horth. Oklahoma extended its lead to 98.850-97.775 after two events.

The Sooners used momentum throughout their floor exercise lineup to blaze to a 49.450 in the third rotation. Scaman and Ali Jackson capitalized in the backend of Oklahoma's lineup for 9.925 routines, while Brenna Dowell earned a 9.9. Kara Lovan and Erica Brewer were each strong for the Sooners with efforts of 9.85 each.

A 9.95 from Sunny Kato highlighted Illinois' 49.125 on beam in the third rotation. With only one event to go, Oklahoma held a commanding 148.300-146.900 lead over the Illini.

The Sooners went lights out on balance beam, exuding grace and precision as they hit a season-best 49.575 to cap the evening. Haley Sorensen hit one of the finest routines of her season, earning a career-best 9.925 effort. Clark tied her own career-best of 9.925, and Capps posted a 9.925 as well.

Brewer pulled out her three-part series on beam in the anchor position for a 9.9, and Lovan was clean and fluid for a 9.9 as well. Kmieciak opened on a strong note for Oklahoma with a 9.825.

Oklahoma will return to Norman next weekend for a showdown with No. 3 Florida on Friday, March 6. The rematch between 2014 NCAA Co-Champion teams will begin at 6:45 p.m. CT at the Lloyd Noble Center. Tickets are on sale now.

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Players Mentioned

Erica Brewer

Chayse Capps

Rebecca Clark

Brenna Dowell

Keeley Kmieciak

Kara Lovan

Haley Scaman

Haley Sorensen

McKenzie Wofford

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics