No. 6 Nebraska rallies past No. 13 Minnesota 21-11 to score 10th win of season

Tim Lambert (Nebraska) pinned Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) to spark Husker comeback. Photo: Scott Bruhn, Nebraska Communications.

Minneapolis, Minn. – Trailing 11-3 at the halfway point, No. 6 Nebraska (10-1, 4-1 Big Ten) won each of the last five matches against No. 13 Minnesota on its way to a 21-11 win at the Sports Pavilion on Friday night.


No. 5 Tim Lambert (125) sparked the Husker comeback with his pin against No. 6 Ethan Lizak in the sixth bout of the night. Lambert pinned the Gopher in 3:54 for his sixth fall of the season, a total which leads all Husker starters. His bonus-point victory paved the way for four decisions to close out the dual.


Two-time All-American TJ Dudley (184) earned the first win of the dual after the Huskers suffered back-to-back decision losses to start the night. Dudley notched a 6-2 decision over Bobby Steveson, and Minnesota was deducted one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct following the match.


At 133 pounds, All-American Eric Montoya, the No. 5-ranked wrestler by InterMat, won a 13-6 decision over 16th-ranked Mitch McKee, which gave Nebraska a 12-11 advantage after seven matches, its first lead of the night.


No. 10 Colton McCrystal (141) and No. 3 Tyler Berger (157) each topped ranked opponents, while Collin Purinton (149) defeated Carson Brolsma, 11-4, in the penultimate match of the dual. McCrystal won a 7-5 decision over No. 13 Tommy Thorn. Berger won the final match of the night, 9-2, after a late takedown and four nearfall points at the buzzer.


Prior to halftime, No. 7 Aaron Studebaker (197) lost by a narrow decision to No. 2 Brett Pfarr, 5-3, and No. 15 Collin Jensen (HWT) fell to No. 9 Michael Kroells, 7-6.


The Huskers hit the road for a pair of duals next weekend. Nebraska battles Purdue on Friday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. (CT) in West Lafayette, Ind., before squaring off with Indiana on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 1 p.m. (CT) in Bloomington, Ind. Both duals will be streamed live on BTN Plus on BTN2Go.


#6 Nebraska 21, #13 Minnesota 11

Friday, Jan. 20, 2017

Sports Pavilion (Minneapolis, Minn.)


Results

165: #13 Nick Wanzek (MINN) dec. Dustin Williams (NEB), 4-1 (MINN 3, NEB 0)

174: Chris Pfarr (MINN) dec. Justin Arthur (NEB), 7-3 (MINN 6, NEB 0)

184: #3 TJ Dudley (NEB) dec. Bobby Steveson (MINN), 6-2 (MINN 5, NEB 3)*

197: #2 Brett Pfarr (MINN) dec. #7 Aaron Studebaker (NEB), 5-3 (MINN 8, NEB 3)

HWT: #9 Michael Kroells (MINN) dec. #15 Collin Jensen (NEB), 7-6 (MINN 11, NEB 3)

125: #5 Tim Lambert (NEB) pin #6 Ethan Lizak (MINN), 3:54 (MINN 11, NEB 9)

133: #5 Eric Montoya (NEB) dec. #16 Mitch McKee (MINN), 13-6 (NEB 12, MINN 11)

141: #10 Colton McCrystal (NEB) dec. #13 Tommy Thorn (MINN), 7-5 (NEB 15, MINN 11)

149: Collin Purinton (NEB) dec. Carson Brolsma (MINN), 11-4 (NEB 18, MINN 11)

157: #3 Tyler Berger (NEB) dec. #11 Jake Short (MINN), 9-2 (NEB 21, MINN 11)

*Minnesota penalized one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct following the 184-pound match