PALO ALTO, Calif. – A trio of Trojans got things done with bonus point victories against #17 Stanford this afternoon, but five matches separated by three points or less didn't go Little Rock's way as their road trip on the West Coast ended with a 24-15 loss to the Cardinal.
"It was a tough night," admitted head coach
Neil Erisman. "Ultimately, we didn't stay true to who we are and what we need to do in tough moments. I'm disappointed because we've been there before this year and pushed through those moments to find a way, and tonight we didn't."
"I think we'll come back strong and make the adjustments next time," Coach Erisman added. "We're grateful to compete and be here, regardless. God is good, even when we have any tough moments."
Despite frustration at the overall result, there were a few bright spots:
Nasir Bailey,
Stephen Little and
Josiah Hill all dominated their opponents, collecting all of Little Rock's points to finish their weekend trip with a perfect 2-0 record between Oregon State and Stanford.
Bailey ended his match in the second period, picking up his ninth technical fall of the year as the true freshman moves to 19-2 on the season.
Hill earned a 15-5 major decision, cutting his opponent twice in the final period to extend his lead. The redshirt junior sits at 17-8 this year and looks to re-enter the weekly rankings after a successful weekend out West.
The quickest and most impressive showing of the day came from
Stephen Little, who won by fall over the #18 wrestler in the country at 197 pounds in less than a minute, thanks to a powerful cradle and pin. Little, a redshirt freshman who is currently ranked #11 in the nation, now holds a record of 15-2 as well as a team-leading 13-2 dual record.
"It's a tale of two stories," said Coach Erisman. "The guys that went out to stick to the plan and do what they do best didn't just win, but blew through people. If we carried that same attitude throughout the entire thing, it could have been a completely different result."
A pair of unranked redshirt freshmen were right in the fight against their ranked Stanford foes, dropping tight decisions at 141 and 149 despite scoring several points.
Brennan Van Hoecke scrapped with #32 Miranda, earning two takedowns, a pair of two-point near fall swipes, a reversal and an escape, but lost a few scrambles and allowed his opponent the riding time point to step away with the 15-13 loss ultimately. Similarly,
Kyle Dutton took on #22 Abas and came back in the third period with a trio of takedowns, but it was not enough as Stanford's early points let them hold on the for win.
The Trojans will return home next Saturday, February 3 at noon, hosting another ranked Pac-12 team, the Cal Poly Mustangs. Join Little Rock at the Jack Stephens Center as they look to bounce back on Senior Day.
#17 Stanford 24, #25 Little Rock 15
125: #19 Nico Provo (Stanford) DEC
Jeremiah Reno, 13-11
133: #13
Nasir Bailey TF Dom Lajoie (Stanford), 19-3 (3:59)
141: #32 Jason Miranda (Stanford) DEC
Brennan Van Hoecke, 15-13
149: #22 Jaden Abas (Stanford) DEC
Kyle Dutton, 13-10
157: #11 Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) DEC #27
Matty Bianchi, 5-0
165: #27 Hunter Garvin (Stanford) F
Brendon Abdon, 2:09
174: Tye Monteiro (Stanford) DEC #18
Tyler Brennan, 5-2
184: Jack Darrah (Stanford) DEC
Triston Wills, 3-2
197: #11
Stephen Little F #18 Nick Stemmet (Stanford), 0:51
285:
Josiah Hill MD Jackson Mankowski (Stanford), 15-5
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