Jan. 29, 2010
Wisconsin vs. Minnesota scoresheet 
MADISON, Wis. -- The University of Wisconsin wrestling team (5-7, 1-1) won five individual matches on Friday night, but bonus-point victories by the Gophers proved to be the difference in a 20-18 win at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. The Gophers earned bonus points in four of their five victories to improve to 8-4 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten.
The evening started at 141 lbs. and the Badgers found themselves in an early hole. UW fell behind 5-0 after No. 20 Cole Schmitt suffered a 19-4 loss to No. 4 Michael Thorn.
The Badgers would bounce back however with a win at 149 lbs. Kyle Ruschell, ranked No. 2 in the nation, earned an 11-3 win over No. 18 Mario Mason to cut the Gopher lead to just 5-4. Ruschell improved his winning streak to seven matches and now holds a record of 21-1 overall and 12-0 in dual matches.
Minnesota answered with a major decision of its own at 157 lbs. Dustin Schlatter, who is ranked No. 2 at 165 lbs., wrestled down and beat Greg Burke 12-3 to push the Minnesota lead back to 9-4.
Wisconsin got those four points back thanks to another major decision as No. 1 Andrew Howe recorded six takedowns en route to a 15-5 win over Cody Yohn at 165 lbs. Howe controlled the action throughout the match to run his record to a perfect 22-0 this year. The victory once again cut the deficit to one point as the Gophers led 9-8 after the match.
Just as the Badgers got close again, Minnesota again responded with a bonus-point victory. This time at 174 lbs., Jimmy Duffy lost via a 14-5 major decision to No. 8 Scott Glasser staking the Gophers to a 13-8 lead.
The first non-bonus point victory came at 184 lbs. as No. 16 Travis Rutt helped the Badgers chip away at the Gopher lead. He secured a 5-3 win over Kaleb Young to trim Minnesota's advantage to 13-11. The win was Rutt's third in a row and sixth in his past seven matches. He improved his overall record to 10-5, including a 7-3 mark in dual matches.
The Badgers took their only lead of the night at 14-13 after a victory at 197 pounds by No. 8 Trevor Brandvold. The 4-2 decision by the River Falls, Wis., native over No. 14 Sonny Yohn extended his own personal winning streak to four matches. Brandvold now owns an 11-3 record overall and a 5-1 mark in dual matches.
The turning point of the match came in the heavyweight division. Eric Bugenhagen held a 3-1 lead going into the third period, but an escape from Minnesota's Ben Berhow from the down position and a stall point knotted up the match. Berhow then scored a takedown in the final 30 seconds to take a 5-3 lead. Bugenhagen escaped but couldn't score again as the Gophers regained the overall lead at 16-14.
The match then swung further in Minnesota's favor following a major decision victory at 125 lbs. Drew Hammen was defeated by No. 6 Zach Sanders, but did manage to fight off a pin attempt near the end of the third period to give his team a chance going into the last match.
Wisconsin trailed 20-14 heading into the final bout of the night. UW needed a pin from No. 8 Tyler Graff at 133 lbs. to tie things up, but Graff came up short. The Loveland, Colo., native won the match 29-14 over Thane Antczak but none of his 14 takedowns translated into a pin, allowing Minnesota to survive with the 20-18 victory. Graff has now won three matches in a row and holds a 19-4 record this season with a 9-3 mark in dual matches.
The Badgers will try and get back on the winning track on Sunday as they host Penn State. Match time is set for 1 p.m. at the UW Field House.
