DES MOINES — A championship gymnastics meet pitting four of the top 16 teams in the nation against one another in competition, ended in a quarter-of-one-tenth showdown between Big 12-undefeated Cyclones (3-0-1) and Big 12-winless Oklahoma (0-3).

Fans stood in ovation at the Knapp Center in Des Moines, roaring “ISU, ISU,” after the Cyclones’ final performer of the night, sophomore Erin Dethloff, nailed a double-layout bars dismount. The routine topped a team-winning performance and clinched an individual conference co-champion title for Dethloff, with a score of 9.90.

“Everyone in front of me had hit,” Dethloff said. “That was the best that we could have done; we couldn’t have controlled it [from that point on].”

But in a sport where there is no defense, the Cyclones could only watch as Oklahoma’s Kasie Tamayo flipped her way to a 9.925 on floor exercise, boosting the Sooners over the Cyclones by .025 to win the Big 12 team title, 196.95-196.925. Tamayo earned the individual floor and all-around titles.

Oklahoma head coach Steve Nunno said he knew a Big 12 conference victory would be a huge upset.

“I told my team that nobody thinks we can win this meet,” Nunno said. He said it wasn’t the Sooners’ talent that kept them from beating another Big 12 opponent this season.

“We lost because we beat ourselves,” Nunno said. He said the team was never able to hit all its routines and eliminate small mistakes.

The Cyclones began the first rotation with a rough start on balance beam, including a fall and a near-fall.

“They were being cautious, maybe,” Kindler said. “All in all, I felt they handled the mistakes rather well.”

Despite a few form breaks, the Cyclones rebounded from their mistakes to hit several solid routines on beam, including a 9.90 silver-medal-winning performance from sophomore Laura-Kay Powell.

But it wasn’t enough.

“It was a huge disappointment tonight,” Kindler said. “I felt we had a winning performance.”

The Cyclones were not the only team to face pressure on the treacherous four-inch beam, as Iowa State, Oklahoma and Missouri each suffered a fall from the apparatus.

Meanwhile, defending conference champion Nebraska took itself out of the running with two falls from the apparatus, counting a five-tenths deduction in its total team score.

The Huskers, who have won six of the past seven Big 12 championships, were expected to be the Cyclones’ main obstacle in claiming the conference crown.

After the tentative start on beam, the Cyclones rebounded by posting the highest team scores on both vault and bars, as well as posting the second-highest team score on floor.

Several of the Cyclones’ routines also captured individual titles.

On vault, sophomore Krystal Carney finished third with a 9.90, followed by four of her teammates who tied for fourth with scores of 9.85: Dethloff, Powell, Anson and sophomore Jessica Oney. On floor, Carney, Dethloff and Powell all tied for the silver medal with 9.90s.

Dethloff and Powell’s performances earned them second- and third-place finishes, respectively, in the all-around competition (39.475 and 39.450).

“We hit a lot of awesome routines, but every tenth counts,” freshman Janet Anson said. “We did a winning performance — we did what we could do”.

Dethloff said close meets like this will only get closer.

“[Losing by] .025 isn’t much at all. It was a close meet and there was tight judging,” Dethloff said. “That’s what we’re going to see at regionals and, hopefully, nationals. It’s a preview of what’s to come.”

Finishing less than a small step, hop or toe point away from first, Anson said the team has already started to move on.

“Remember, we’re not done,” Anson said. NCAA regional competition will take place April 2 and 3.