DEKALB, Ill. – The Little Rock Trojans wrestling team fought the Northern Illinois Huskies on the road this evening, falling in a 38-4 heartbreaker after a fairly even first half of the dual.
Paul Bianchi earned his third dual victory of the season as well as second in a row following his win versus North Carolina.
"There were some tough situations," said assistant coach
Javier Maldonado. "We couldn't find ways to win them even though there were opportunities. Paul did a great job at doing what he needed to do."
PHOTO GALLERY
Paul Bianchi came away with a 16-3 major decision at 133 pounds, only allowing escapes by the Northern Illinois foe. The junior picked up the first takedown, followed by a four-point near fall to start his bout with a 6-0 lead going into the second period. That gap widened and Bianchi ended only two points away from a technical fall.
"I just kind of realized that if I was doing my thing, doing my positions and throwing my attacks, they can't get their things going," said Bianchi. "The coaches have been preaching it all year, but it really clicked tonight."
Tyler Brennan,
Jayden Carson,
Conner Ward, and
Jose Champagne each only allowed decisions, making the score just 12-4 in favor of the Huskies going into the second half of the dual.
Brennan came from behind, trailing until the third period when the bout was brought to sudden victory, but his opponent managed to get the first takedown to end it.
Carson had a nine-point swing in the second period, bringing a 1-4 score from the first up to 10-6 before riding time and a comeback by NIU finished it in the third.
Ward had another tight bout, similar to many of his recent matches, but managed to get an escape to keep the score 7-1 and avoid a major.
Champagne, on the other hand, led 5-1 going into the third period, but his opponent pulled ahead with an eight-point gain to take it at the end.
While the back half did rack up points for NIU, especially with no heavyweight representing Little Rock, some Trojans showed improvement on the mat. While
Tristan Tadeo and
Matthew Muller were taken down by technical falls, this was a contrast from their pins by North Carolina in December.
Little Rock will have another short break before hopping back onto the road for a dual with Southern Illinois on Thursday, Dec. 30 with a 6:00 p.m. start. The next time Little Rock will be home at the Jack Stephens Center will be Sunday, Feb. 2 at 2:00 p.m. to face South Dakota State.
Results
125: Bryce West (NIU) DEC
Jayden Carson, 13-10
133:
Paul Bianchi MD Caleb Brooks (NIU), 16-3
141: Anthony Gibson (NIU) DEC
Conner Ward, 7-1
149: McCoy Kent (NIU) DEC
Tyler Brennan, SV-1 8-6
157: Dylan Thurston (NIU) DEC
Jose Champagne, 9-7
165: #18 Izzak Olejnik (NIU) MD
Will Edgar, 8-0
174: Kenny Moore (NIU) TF
Tristan Tadeo, 18-1 4:27
184: #13 Brit Wilson (NIU) TF
Matthew Muller, 20-3 4:14
197: Gage Braun (NIU) F
Dylan Johnson, 2:15
285: Max Ihry (NIU) over
Drake Barbee (Forfeit)
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