TUSCALOOSA \0xAD-- The No. 5 Auburn Tigers were defeated 197.350-196.175 by the No. 11 Crimson Tide in the "Power of Pink" meet in front of a sold out crowd of 15,075 at the Coleman Coliseum.
Both teams wore pink leotards to support Breast Cancer research. Alabama won the first pink meet of the season against the Tigers at home Feb. 9.
"Tonight they just handled it better than we did," head coach Jeff Thompson said. "We had a good night considering the crowd. We made mistakes in warm-ups, and maybe it took our focus off. "
The Tide took an early lead after the first rotation on the vault, scoring a 49.425 with three scores of 9.9 or better. The Tigers were not far behind with a 48.850 as A.J. Mills scored a 9.850 and Lindsey Puckett a 9.825 on bars.
"It was another meet where we didn't have to count a fall, but we certainly could have scored better," Thompson said. "Our biggest mistake was in trying to win the meet instead of focusing on each of our individual jobs."
The Tide kept the lead with a 98.750 after their rotation on the bars with two scores of 9.9 and 9.925. Most of the Tigers landed a 9.8 or better to bring their score to 98.0 after the vault.
"We tried to mentally prepare for a crowd like this one," Mills said. "Our goal was just to be louder than them when we cheer for each other. "
The Tigers, ranked as the nation's fourth-best floor squad, took on the floor event and scored a 49.125.
The Tide took on the beam and secured the lead once more with a 49.275 and overall score of 148.025. Four of their gymnasts scored a 9.8, and one scored a 9.9.
The Tigers closed out the night on the beam. Lauren Brzostowski started the lineup and scored a career best of 9.850 along with freshman Kylie Shields.
Mills scored a 9.9 securing a tie for first in the event. Mills won third overall in the meet with an individual score of a 39.4.
"The beam was my best event," Shields said. "It is the only one I stuck it like I do in practice. There are always little mistakes that can be corrected, but everyone tried their hardest. There is just one shot to do it right."
The Tide took their turn on the floor for the final rotation. Three gymnasts scored a 9.8 or better.
"We are still confident in ourselves," Mills said. "Our chemistry is great, and we have each others back. We did bounce back after warm-ups, but it was just not enough to secure the win."
Auburn will travel to East Lansing, Mich., next week to face No. 23 Michigan State in Jenison Fieldhouse at 6 p.m.
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