The ASU gymnastics team doesn't need to do anything flashy to beat No. 19 Minnesota on Saturday at the Sports Pavilion -- hitting routines and sticking dismounts should be sufficient.
The Sun Devils would throw their win-loss column out the window in favor of a higher regional qualifying score as their injury-plagued regular season nears an end.
The regional qualifying score is calculated by taking the six best regular-season team scores, including three away meets. Once the highest score is thrown out, the other five scores are averaged.
This season ASU has not been able to produce on the road since scoring a 195.7 at the Maui Invitational on Jan. 7.
The Sun Devils now have a golden opportunity to boost their average, ending their regular season with road meets at Minnesota and No. 1 Utah.
Last season, Minnesota set a school record in a 198.125-197.700 loss at ASU.
In ASU's case, a total team score of 195 would be sufficient enough to bolster their stock before the Pac-10 Championships on March 26. The Sun Devils remain fully capable of defeating Minnesota and scoring their third team score of 195, and they don't need to be perfect to get there.
They just need to be consistent.
Last Friday, ASU had easily positioned themselves to hit its magic number before falling three straight times on beam against Penn State.
ASU has begun the slow climb back into the national rankings after a disastrous performance at Stanford.
But now the momentum of their season has been on a positive upswing.
Sophomore Cassandra Jusino has emerged from junior Ashley Kelly's shadow and become an all-around contender.
Junior Lauren Powell has been steadily recovering from an ankle injury and should be ready to compete on three events, excluding the vault.
Reach the reporter at kimberly.a.taylor@asu.edu.
