Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys outlast Arizona State, 26-12
January 20, 2001 | Cowboy Wrestling
Jan. 20, 2001
University Park, Pa. -- Head coach John Smith's top-ranked Cowboy wrestlers notched a 26-12 win over brother Lee Roy Smith's ninth-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils in the quarterfinals of the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals.
The younger Smith runs his record to 12-1 against older brother Lee Roy.
`It's a little payback," said OSU coach John Smith, "when I was little, and he was beating me up."
"There is always mixed emotion (wrestling against Lee Roy)," said Smith, "you hope his team competes well, but at the same time, you hope your team whips them pretty good. "His team was definitely prepared, they looked like they did some homework ... they definitely slowed us down."
It took the Pokes awhile, but a pin from Daniel Cormier at 184 pounds finally put the Sun Devils away. Cormier's fall came in 6:15 and gave OSU a 17-9 lead. ASU then forfeited the 197-pound match to OSU's Will Gruenwald and the win was assured.
The win gives the Pokes their 10th win of the season, and advances them into tonight's semifinals at 7 p.m. against the fourth-ranked Iowa State Cyclones.
OSU opened up a 7-0 lead behind a major decision from Matt Brown at 125 pounds and Johnny Thompson's 3-1 decision over 13th-ranked David Douglas.
The Pokes sent Charles Walker to the mat at 141 pounds to face ASU's third-ranked Eric Larkin. The match was tied at 1-1 at the end of overtime, Walker chose bottom in the tiebreaker, but Larkin was able to ride out for the win.
Second-ranked Reggie Wright picked up bonus points with a major decision at 149 pounds and extended the OSU lead to 11-3. But the Cowboys lost their next two matches as the Sun Devils pulled with two points at 11-9.
Redshirt freshman Tyrone Lewis got Oklahoma State back on track with a 10-3 decision over Curtis Owen at 174 pounds.
At heavyweight, D.J. Radnovich, making his first appearance in the OSU lineup, lost a 2-0 decision to ASU's 10th-ranked Kellan Fluckiger.
OSU 26, ASU 12
125: Matt Brown (OSU) m. dec. Chris Knox, 20-8
133: Johnny Thompson (OSU) dec. David Douglas, 3-1
141: Eric Larkin (ASU) dec. Charles Walker, 1-1, tb
149: Reggie Wright (OSU) m. dec. Dana Holland, 10-2
157: Rocky Smart (ASU) dec. Shane Roller, 6-4
165: Steve Blackford (ASU) dec. Ty Wilcox, 6-2
174: Tyrone Lewis (OSU) dec. Curtis Owen, 10-3
184: Daniel Cormier (OSU) fall R.D. Purcell, 6:15
197: Will Gruenwald wins by forfeit
285: Kellan Fluckiger (ASU) dec. D.J. Radnovich, 1-0
