"I give credit to Oklahoma tonight," Missouri Head Coach Brian Smith said. "They battled tough. They're a very tough team. We lost a tough one early at 133 pounds but showed good composure by getting the win at 157 pounds."
Senior 141 pounder Marcus Hoehn (Farmington, Mo.) scored Missouri's first points of the dual with his 8-2 win by decision over Seth Vernon. Hoehn's victory marked the sixth time of the season in which the 18th-ranked grappler was the first Tiger of the dual to record a win. Hoehn held a 5-1 advantage heading into the third period and added a takedown and 1:28 of riding time to make the final score, 8-2.
Wrestling to the sounds of the third fire alarm of the night, senior 157-pounder Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) snapped a two dual losing streak and earned his first Big 12 win of the season by way of a 6-2 decision over Will Rowe. Chandler scored the first takedown of the match with 1:17 remaining in the first period, allowing Rowe only an escape. The two stood tied at two entering the third period and Chandler started down for the final two minutes of action. Escaping in six seconds, Chandler shot and scored a takedown with 26 left, holding on for 1:09 of riding time and Missouri's second win of the night.
Junior All-American, Nicholas Marable (Collierville, Tenn.) recorded his fifth one point win of the season, 3-2, over Oklahoma's Ryan Smith, bringing Missouri even with OU at nine points. Marable, ranked as high as fifth in the nation at 165 pounds, went yet another match in which he refused to give up the takedown, allowing Smith an escape in the first and third periods for his Sooner opponents' only two points of the bout.
Giving the Tigers their first lead of the night, fifth-ranked senior Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) held on for a 6-4 win over seventh-ranked Jeff James at 174 pounds. Jordan was down 2-1 at the close of the first period, but tied the bout in the second with a takedown. Jordan chose down to start the third, escaped in five seconds and tacked on a takedown with 51 left in the match. Jordan, is now one of four MU grapplers with a 2-0 Big 12 record.
Breaking the 12-12 tie that came after a Missouri loss at 184 pounds, junior All-American Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) outscored 11th-ranked Eric Lapotsky, 11-4, for the Tiger win. The most point scored in any of the 10 bouts, Askren tallied three takedowns in the first period and toughed out a second period reversal for the six point lead. Askren allowed Lapotsky the escape to start the third period but returned him to the mat. With 3:07 of riding time, Askren improves to 21-3 on the season.
"I think this has to be the best match I've seen Max wrestle all season." Smith said. "He looked solid and did a tremendous job for us."
Making his return to the mat after a four dual absence, No.1 ranked Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) fought hard for his 5-3 win over 16th-ranked Nathan Fernandez at heavyweight. Ellis and Fernandez scrambled and exchanged a flury of shots throughout the seven minute match, but Ellis maintained his lead throughout the bout, scoring a takedown and escape in the first, and escape in the second and adding one point for 1:25 of riding time. With the win, Ellis extends his win streak to 19 matches.
The Tigers will continue their swing through the state of Oklahoma with a Saturday, Feb. 7, dual against the 15th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys beginning at 7 p.m. (CT) in Gallagher Iba Arena. The Cowboys stand at 12-6 on the season and 0-2 in Big 12 action.
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