Feb. 11, 2006

EVANSTON, Ill. - The 18th-ranked Michigan State wrestling team won three of the first four matches against No. 13 Northwestern, but faltered down the stretch and fell 21-13 at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Friday night, Feb. 10.

"I'm really proud of the matches that R.J. Boudo and Andy Simmons wrestled, but there were other places where I think we lost because we just didn't give it our best effort," head coach Tom Minkel said. "We're going to have to learn form this and regroup in a hurry."

Nick Simmons gave the Spartans an early 3-0 advantage at 125 pounds, with a 7-2 win over eighth-ranked John Velez. Tied at two apiece following the first period, Simmons countered a Velez shot with a takedown and two near-fall points as time expired in the second period. Simmons, ranked third, rode Velez out for the final frame to capture his 25th win of the season and remain undefeated.

At 133 pounds, Northwestern's Daniel Quintela used a takedown midway through the third to beat MSU's Jeff Wimberley, 5-4, and tie the dual at 3-3. Wimberley led 4-2 early in the third period, but could not hold on for his second straight win.

The featured match of the night at 141 pounds between Michigan State's fifth-ranked Andy Simmons and No. 6 Ryan Lang lived up to its advanced billing, as Simmons avenged an early-season loss to Lang by catching him on his back and notching the fall at 6:14. Simmons trailed 4-3 heading into the third, but quickly escaped tying the match at 4-4. After a brief scramble on their feet, Simmons caught Lang in a bear hug, putting him to his back and improving to 26-3 on the season. The Williamston, Mich., native recorded his second fall of the season and 18th of his career.

Darren McKnight extended the Michigan State lead to 10 points at 149 pounds, with a 13-4 major decision over Marty Gould. McKnight outscored the Northwestern 149-pounder, 7-1, in the final period to get the major, his first since the Nittany Lion Open on Dec. 4. The Hixson, Tenn., native improved to 19-10 on the season.

The State lead dwindled to four following the 165-pound bout, as No. 18 Will Durkee defeated Spartan sophomore Bryan Harney, 9-2. Durkee executed a five-point takedown with near-fall points in the opening minute of the match, and though Harney got in deep on shots throughout the match, he could not finish the takedowns.

The 174-pound bout showcased two of the nation's top five wrestlers as State's No. 5 R.J. Boudro attempted to hand second-ranked Jake Herbert his first loss of the season. After a scoreless first, Herbert scored an escape and the lone takedown of the match in the second, winning the period 3-1. Boudro could only manage an escape in the third, and fell to Herbert for the third time this season, 4-2.

The 184-pound match was characterized by the final 15 seconds, as Northwestern's Mike Tamillow, ranked No. 11, narrowly escaped John Murphy, 7-4. Tied at with just 15 ticks left on the clock, Murphy reversed Tamillow, but the Wildcat quickly returned the favor, and added two near-fall points and a riding-time point to claim the decision.

Northwestern took a five-point lead into the final match thanks to Matt Delguyd's 3-2 decision over Jeff Clemens at 197 pounds. The defending Big Ten Champion took down Clemens for the lone takedown of the match early in the first, and the majority of the remainder of the bout was spent in the neutral position.

In the final match of the night at 285 pounds, MSU senior Max Lossen took eighth-ranked Dustin Fox to a second overtime, but ultimately gave up a takedown to drop a 4-2 decision.

Michigan State now heads to Champaign, Ill., for a Sunday afternoon tussle with sixth-ranked Illinois. The dual is scheduled for 1 p.m. CST.

125- Nick Simmons dec. John Velez 7-2 MSU, 3-0

133- Daniel Quintela dec. Jeff Wimberley 5-4 3-3

141- Andy Simmons fall Ryan Lang Fall, 6:14 MSU, 9-3

149- Darren McKnight maj. dec. Marty Gould MD, 13-4 MSU, 13-3

157- Greg Hagel dec. Tony Greathouse 7-6 MSU, 13-6

165- Will Durkee dec. Bryan Harney 9-2 MSU, 13-9

174- Jake Herbert dec. R.J. Boudro 4-2 MSU, 13-12

184- Mike Tamillow dec. John Murphy 7-4 NU, 15-13

197- Matt Delguyd dec. Jeff Clemens 3-2 NU, 18-13

285- Dustin Fox dec. Max Lossen 4-2 NU, 21-13