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The return of MyKayla Skinner and Kari Lee to their home state was a huge success for Utah's gymnastics team as the two helped the fifth-ranked Utes beat the Arizona State Sun Devils 197.6-194.85 in Tempe, Ariz.

The Utes were coming off their emotional win over UCLA last weekend, but showed no signs of a letdown or slump as they used a strong start to roll to the easy win.

"The one thing we were concerned about was a possible letdown and that didn't happen," Utah co-coach Tom Farden said. "They were on such a high on bars and just took it from there."

The Utes return home to host Stanford on Friday at 7 p.m. in the last home meet of the season before finishing the regular season at Georgia on March 11.

The Utes opened the meet on the uneven bars with a season-high 49.625 thanks in large part to Lee and Skinner, both of whom are from the Tempe area.

Skinner had a substantial fan base at the meet since she was coached previously by Lisa Spini, whose husband, John, coached Arizona State for 34 years. She didn't disappoint them as the freshman continued to dominate the all-around, scoring 39.775 to tie her career high. It also tied the school record for the fifth highest all-around score.

"It was awesome to see her perform like that in front of her family, friends and coaches," Farden said. "She was on fire with a little extra motivation."

On the bars, Lee scored a 9.975, tying her career best, while Skinner had a 9.95 for a career high. Junior Tiffani Lewis also scored a 9.95.

Utah moved to the vault and posted a 49.175. Utah was led by Skinner's 9.9 while Rowe and Lewis added 9.85s. One other notable contribution came from sophomore Shannon McNatt, who scored a 9.75 in her first routine.

The Utes wanted to get McNatt a shot in the lineup because she throws a 10.0 value vault instead of a 9.9-valued routine like some of her teammates use. She was deducted for a low vault but the Utes were still satisfied for her first effort.

Thanks to the solid vaulting, the Utes led 98.8-97.4 at the halfway mark.

Floor has given the Utes some issues on the road this year, but that wasn't the case on Saturday as the Utes scored a 49.425, tying their second-highest score of the season.

Skinner led with a 9.95 while Lewis had a 9.925 and senior Baely Rowe added 9.9.

The Utes capped off the meet with a strong showing on the beam as Skinner scored 9.95 and Rowe added 9.925 to help the Utes finish with a 49.375. —

Storylines

R The Utes beat Arizona State in Tempe for the seventh straight time, a streak that dates to 2000.

Key moment • Utah junior Maddy Stover changed her balance beam routine to avoid a possible mistake on a connection, performing it later in her routine than usual, and scored a 9.825 to lead off the beam set.

Key state • Sophomore Shannon McNatt scored a 9.75 in her first vault routine for the Ute.