For the second straight dual meet, Iowa lost the final four matches of the night. Unlike against #1 Penn State last week, though, this time Iowa had done enough in the matches before that late collapse to prevail in the dual meet. In fact, this was a dual meet split almost perfectly in two -- Iowa won the first six bouts, Minnesota won the final four. That Iowa wrestled back-ups at three of the four weights the Hawkeyes lost provides an obvious explanation for Iowa's shaky finish, though that doesn't completely explain away the fact that Iowa's upper weights are far from sharp right now. Iowa's light weights carried the load in this dual, but Iowa will need the upper weights to provide some production if the Hawkeyes want to maximize their performance at the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments.
Maybe it was a sign that it was going to be a strange night for the Hawkeyes when #1 Spencer Lee led off the dual with... a simple decision victory. This was just the third time all season that Lee has wrestled all seven minutes and the first time all season that he hasn't earned any bonus points. Lee got a takedown in the first period (though it took longer than usual) and was able to take #6 Patrick McKee on one brief trip to Tilt Town to open up a 6-0 lead, but there wasn't much to the match after that. A Lee escape and a few decent scrambles were the most notable action in the final two periods.
#17 Brody Teske fell behind early against Jake Gliva, going down 2-0 in the first period. But a pair of escapes helped Tekse narrow the gap and he kept fighting in the third period until the final whistle, with his perseverance being rewarded with the match-winning takedown in the final 10 seconds. (This was not the only match in which points were decided in the final seconds, although it was the only situation like that ended up favoring Iowa.) #2 Real Woods made it 3-for-3 for Iowa at the start of the dual with a very methodical 8-1 decision win at 141. The good news was that Woods kept on the attack for the entire match, recording a takedown in each period. The bad news was that he lost the major decision by giving up an escape on the edge of the mat with under five seconds left in the third period. That was a tough way to lose a bonus point.
At 149 #6 Max Murin and #15 Michael Blockhus produced probably the most entertaining match of the night, a back-and-forth affair that featured several takedowns and multiple changes in fortune. Blockhus struck first with a takedown in the first period, but Murin was able to answer with a strong double-leg attack in the second. With the match tied at 4-4, Murin got another takedown to go up 6-4, before Blockhus was able to counter with a reversal to tie the match again. A Murin escape gave him a 7-6 lead, but he continued to press the attack and finally locked down the win with a takedown and two-point near fall exposure on the edge of the mat.
MORE HERE: https://iowa.rivals.com/news/no-2-iowa-18-no-12-minnesota-13
RECAP
Maybe it was a sign that it was going to be a strange night for the Hawkeyes when #1 Spencer Lee led off the dual with... a simple decision victory. This was just the third time all season that Lee has wrestled all seven minutes and the first time all season that he hasn't earned any bonus points. Lee got a takedown in the first period (though it took longer than usual) and was able to take #6 Patrick McKee on one brief trip to Tilt Town to open up a 6-0 lead, but there wasn't much to the match after that. A Lee escape and a few decent scrambles were the most notable action in the final two periods.
#17 Brody Teske fell behind early against Jake Gliva, going down 2-0 in the first period. But a pair of escapes helped Tekse narrow the gap and he kept fighting in the third period until the final whistle, with his perseverance being rewarded with the match-winning takedown in the final 10 seconds. (This was not the only match in which points were decided in the final seconds, although it was the only situation like that ended up favoring Iowa.) #2 Real Woods made it 3-for-3 for Iowa at the start of the dual with a very methodical 8-1 decision win at 141. The good news was that Woods kept on the attack for the entire match, recording a takedown in each period. The bad news was that he lost the major decision by giving up an escape on the edge of the mat with under five seconds left in the third period. That was a tough way to lose a bonus point.
At 149 #6 Max Murin and #15 Michael Blockhus produced probably the most entertaining match of the night, a back-and-forth affair that featured several takedowns and multiple changes in fortune. Blockhus struck first with a takedown in the first period, but Murin was able to answer with a strong double-leg attack in the second. With the match tied at 4-4, Murin got another takedown to go up 6-4, before Blockhus was able to counter with a reversal to tie the match again. A Murin escape gave him a 7-6 lead, but he continued to press the attack and finally locked down the win with a takedown and two-point near fall exposure on the edge of the mat.
MORE HERE: https://iowa.rivals.com/news/no-2-iowa-18-no-12-minnesota-13
