Pitt falls on beam, then to Maryland after early lead

‘ ‘ ‘ Battling illness and nerves, Pitt gymnasts ended a two-meet winning streak, falling to… ‘ ‘ ‘ Battling illness and nerves, Pitt gymnasts ended a two-meet winning streak, falling to the University of Maryland on Friday, 194.650-194.050. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Starting out with high marks on the vault and a season-high score on the bars, the Panthers led in both enthusiasm and points going into the third rotation. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ But the beam proved too narrow, as two Pitt gymnasts fell, giving the Terrapins a 0.7-point lead going into the final rotation. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ There, shaky floor routines didn’t help the Panthers as Maryland cruised to a 0.6-point victory. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘The team that stays on the beam is usually the team that wins. And we didn’t do that,’ said Pitt coach Debbie Yohman. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ A fall on the beam is a 0.5-point deduction, and with the Panthers recording two falls while Maryland hung on, Pitt could only hope that the Terrapins broke down in the final rotation. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘One fall on the beam usually means a loss,’ said Yohman. ‘I think we’re feeling too confident on the beam and we need to be worried to be better.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The Panthers anticipated a close match, but expected to come out on top. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We lost because we got a little nervous on the beam, and that’s where we needed to hit our routines,’ said freshman Alicia Talucci. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Talucci posted a career-high all-around score of 39.050, taking second to Maryland’s Brandi George. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The team will be back in the gym this week, working on cardio to help members overcome flu symptoms. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘The players are under the weather, but we can’t use that as an excuse,’ said Yohman. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The Panthers will host Michigan State on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Fitzgerald Field House.