Michigan
Penn State
Wolverines Cannot Overcome Early Deficit vs. No. 5 Penn State
1/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 30, 2015
• Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery 
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Scores: #5 Penn State 19, #16 Michigan 15
Records: U-M (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten), PSU (9-2, 5-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Feb. 6 -- vs. Nebraska (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team could not overcome a slow start against No. 5 Penn State, falling to the four-time defending NCAA champion, 19-15, on Friday night (Jan. 30) in front of 1,830 fans at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines claimed four matches in the dual, including a pin at 184 pounds, but dropped each of the first four bouts and never lead in the contest.
Michigan won four of the final six bouts after giving up a 12-point deficit after the lowerweights but could not complete the comeback.
Sophomore Brian Murphy and junior/sophomore Taylor Massa bookended the intermission break with decisions at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively. Murphy, ranked 13th in the latest InterMat poll, earned a 3-1 win over Luke Frey on a takedown in the waning seconds of the first period. Murphy struck deep on two more single-leg attacks in the second and third but could not finish in the ensuing scrambles. Massa, ranked 10th, used a pair of first-period takedowns to defeat Garett Hammond, 6-3, finishing on an early single and spun behind on another. He rode for the bulk of the second to accumulate 1:59 in time advantage.
After Penn State earned bonus points with a major decision at 174 pounds, sophomore Domenic Abounader gained it back with a second-period fall against 17th-ranked Matt McCutcheon at 184 pounds. Abounader, ranked 10th, scored on a single leg midway through the first period and, starting on top in the second, horsed McCutcheon over with a half, collecting his first pin of the season at the 3:52 mark.
Abounader's win pulled U-M within four points, but the Nittany Lions sealed the dual win when fifth-ranked Morgan McIntosh claimed a narrow 3-2 decision over ninth-ranked fifth-year senior Max Huntley in the subsequent match at 197 pounds. The wrestlers traded escapes and little less through the first six minutes when McIntosh converted on a single-leg opportunity midway through the third. Huntley escaped with 55 seconds remaining but could not penetrate on his own late leg attacks.
Sophomore heavyweight Adam Coon, ranked seventh, closed out the dual with a 5-2 decision over Jon Gingrich in the final match, breaking open a close bout with a counter takedown midway through the third. After taking the lead on a second-period escape and stall point, Coon had a cradle locked up early in the third but could not Gingrich. He gave up the escape and quickly spun behind on a sloppy counter shot before adding a point for his 1:18 time advantage.
The Nittany Lions jumped out to a sizable 12-point early advantage, claiming four straight decisions -- all in swing matches -- at the lowerweights. Among those early losses, junior/sophomore Conor Youtsey and freshman Alec Pantaleo dropped one-point decisions at 125 and 149 pounds, respectively, while Pantaleo and sophomore/freshman George Fisher sacrificed leads in back-to-back matches.
The Wolverines will continue Big Ten dual competition next weekend, hosting Nebraska at 7 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 6) at Cliff Keen Arena before heading to West Lafayette, Indiana, to face Purdue at 1 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 8). The Nebraska dual will be streamed live via BTN Plus. [ Friday Tickets ]
#5 Penn State 19, #16 Michigan 15
Individual rankings from InterMat
| Match | Score |
| 125 -- #8 Jordan Conaway (PSU) dec. Conor Youtsey, 3-2 | PSU, 3-0 |
| 133 -- #9 Jimmy Gulibon (PSU) dec. #8 Rossi Bruno, 9-3 | PSU, 6-0 |
| 141 -- Kade Moss (PSU) dec. #17 George Fisher, 6-3 | PSU, 9-0 |
| 149 -- #18 Zack Beitz (PSU) dec. #9 Alec Pantaleo, 6-5 | PSU, 12-0 |
| 157 -- #13 Brian Murphy (U-M) dec. Luke Frey, 3-1 | PSU, 12-3 |
| 165 -- #10 Taylor Massa (U-M) dec. Garett Hammond, 6-3 | PSU, 12-6 |
| 174 -- #3 Matt Brown (PSU) major dec. Jake Salazar, 12-2 | PSU, 16-6 |
| 184 -- #10 Domenic Abounader (U-M) pinned #17 Matt McCutheron, 3:52 | PSU, 16-12 |
| 197 -- #5 Morgan McIntosh (PSU) dec. #8 Max Huntley, 3-2 | PSU, 19-12 |
| Hwt -- #7 Adam Coon (U-M) dec. Jon Gingrich, 5-2 | PSU, 19-15 |
N O T E S
• With tonight's loss, Michigan fell to 24-29 in the all-time series against Penn State.
• Sophomore Domenic Abounader has beaten nationally ranked opponents in five of his last seven matches. He is 7-3 against ranked opponents this season.
• Abounader owns two career pins at Michigan.
• Sophomore Adam Coon earned his second win over Penn State's Jon Gingrich this season. He previously defeated Gingrich, 2-0, at the Southern Scuffle. He is 3-1 in collegiate matches against the Nittany Lion heavyweight.
• Freshman Alec Pantaleo suffered his first loss in Big Ten dual competition. He is 5-1 over his last six bouts.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Associate Head Coach Sean Bormet
On the slow start ... "When we got in some really tough moments, they got tougher and we didn't. That's disappointing. That can't happen if you're going to win in close bouts. I'm a little disappointed because we lost in positions that we knew we were going to be in and we worked on all week. When we got there, we didn't execute. We didn't drive the nail through the board and finish. There were two matches that slipped away in the same position. We worked those positions all week.
"Penn State has a really good team. They have some wrestlers that have been in the program, they're coming off of four national titles, and they expect to win matches. Tonight we didn't get tougher in those moments, and we allowed them to stay tough. That's really the difference. It comes down to who's going to battle the longest in those positions and either fight out of something or finish a hold."
On Domenic Abounader's match ... "That had a huge impact, and it was a huge boost. Domenic Abounader is a fierce competitor. He started that match a little slow, but he got his wheels under him. He doesn't want to lose individually, and he does not want the team to lose. He's one those guys who rises up. He's been working his positions, working his conditioning, lifting weight with more intensity -- he's doing everything with more intensity -- and that's paying off for him."
U-M Sophomore Domenic Abounader
On his pin at 184 pounds ... "I wasn't thinking about the pin. I just knew that we were struggling, and I wanted to get some energy back going through the crowd. I thought the best way to do it was to just wrestle the best I could. I'm pretty good on top, so I tried to utilize that. I tried to make small adjustments -- because often in those positions, kids can slip out -- so I took it slow to improve my position and lock it up tight."
Communications Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
