Wrestling | 2/5/2017 6:31:00 PM

BISMARCK, N.D. —  The Minnesota State University Moorhead wrestling team led 9-8 after five weights but Mary rallied to take a 21-12 win over the Dragons in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Sunday in Bismarck, N.D.

MSUM fell to 4-8 overall and 1-4 in the NSIC with the loss while Mary improved to 6-7 overall and 2-4 in the league.

Mary earned bonus points at 125 and 165 and finished with six wins on the night, compared to four wins for the Dragons. MSUM won all four by decision.

"That was the story of the night, they won the close matches," MSUM head coach Kris Nelson said.  "They won close matches at 149, 174, 184 and 197. We've got to learn to win those close matches. Some of our guys are waiting till the third period to score points."

After losing by major decision at 125, MSUM got on the board as senior Blake Bosch — ranked No. 2 in the nation at 133 — edged Mary's Tate Barnhardt by a 3-2 decision to improve to 23-1 on the year.

"We got the takedown early, and Blake stuck with it and got the win," Nelson said.

Sophomore Kristian Vazquez picked up a solid win at 141, topping Reed Cronin 4-1 to put MSUM up 6-4.

"I was happy with the way Kristian Vazquez wrestled," Nelson said. "He was one of our better performers today. He wrestled tough in the top position."

Mary won at 149 to regain the lead at 7-6. Senior Isaac Novacek answered for the Dragons with a 12-5 win over Donald Reuer at 157 to put MSUM up 9-7. Novacek is now 14-11 on the season.

"Isaac wrestled a full seven-minute match and just missed a major," Nelson said.

The Marauders won the next four matches, including one by technical fall at 165, to surge into a 21-9 lead.

Senior Nader Abdullatif improved to 16-8 on the year with a 3-0 win over Dominic Tudor at 285 for MSUM.

"Nader wrestled a smart match and controlled the match," Nelson said.

MSUM continues action on the road next week with a pair of duals, starting Friday at Augustana.

"We will regroup and get back to working hard and come out on Friday and Saturday ready to wrestle, which we didn't do on Sunday," Nelson said.

Mary 21 MSU Moorhead 12
125-Josh Jensen (Mary) maj. dec. Jared Goldsmith, 9-1
133-Blake Bosch (MSUM) dec.  Tate Barnhardt, 3-2
141-Kristian Vazquez (MSUM) dec.  Reed Cronin, 4-1
149-Hunter Eckert (Mary) dec. Dylan Connell, 7-4
157-Isaac Novacek (MSUM) dec. Donald Leuer, 12-5
165-Paul Michaelson (Mary) tech. fall Brayden Kuntz, 17-2
174-Dane Fischer (Mary) dec. Adam Blees, 5-2
184-Jacob Green (Mary) dec. Logan Rhode, 8-3
197-Austin Eichmann (Mary) dec. Cody Anderson, 2-1
285-Nader Abdullatif (MSUM) dec. Dominic Tudor, 3-0