Utah must beat two of these three teams to advance to nationals

The stage is set for the Los Angeles Regional final.

After semifinal action in Pauley Pavilion on Thursday, four women’s gymnastics teams have advanced to the regional final (aka the Sweet Sixteen) — No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Utah, No. 14 Missouri and Washington.

The top two finishing teams in the regional final — which will be held on Saturday at 6 p.m. MDT — will advance to nationals.

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Utah won the first semifinal of the Los Angeles Regional Thursday afternoon, soundly defeating all comers behind a 198.125 — the second highest NCAA postseason score in program history.

In the second semifinal Thursday night, it was the rival Bruins who walked away victorious, with an even bigger 198.275, a score that tied UCLA’s high score this season.

The Bruins’ score was also the highest team score thus far during NCAA regional action this postseason, though two more regionals (Denver and Pittsburgh) will host semifinals on Friday.

The battle for second place in the evening semifinal came down to Missouri and Stanford, and it was the Tigers who pulled away late, thanks to a strong beam rotation.

Missouri’s second place finish spoiled a chance to have an all Pac-12 regional final, after Washington upset No. 12 Auburn earlier in the day.

Utah and UCLA will meet for the third time this season in the regional final.

The Red Rocks defeated the rival Bruins in both of the previous meetings, in Salt Lake City on Feb. 3 and again at the Pac-12 championships on March 18.