The match started with Air Force (2-3) jumping out to an early 6-0 lead after brothers Bridger and Zach Lord picked up victories in the 149 and 157-pound bouts. Bridger Lord defeated Gabe Mooney 7-4 and Zach Lord earned three points for the Falcons by beating NDSU's Adam Aho 10-7.
North Dakota State (3-3) came back with three straight victories, starting with 165-pounder Zach Molitor. The true freshman picked up his second consecutive win by scoring five unanswered points in the final period, giving him a 7-2 victory over Greg Ford.
The match continued with team captain Matt Hermann edging out Stephen Crozier 9-8 at 174 pounds. The match was even throughout and came down to Hermann's advantage time of 1 minute and 12 seconds. With the victory, Hermann improved his overall record to 4-5 and evened his dual record to 3-3.
At 184 pounds, Matt Wetterling picked up his 20th victory and 15th pin of the season sticking Zane Hershey in just 51 seconds, giving the Bison a 12-6 lead. The sophomore is now 4-2 in duals and has recorded pins in his last three matches.
At 197 pounds, Air Force's Brendan McLean took down NDSU's Jacob Bryce with 12 seconds remaining in the match to give McLean the 3-2 decison. McLean, who was nationally ranked until this week, was called for stalling with 21 seconds remaining in the third period before securing the victory.
Heavyweight Mike Maresh picked up his fifth consecutive win, beating Frank McGrath 11-4. Maresh used a flurry of takedowns throughout the match to secure the victory and gave North Dakota State a 15-9 advantage.
After a forfeit by the Falcons at 125 pounds, Eric Sanders defeated Brandon Strong 7-6. Strong, a 2005 NCAA national qualifier, had a 6-4 lead after the first period. Sanders came back in the second period with a reversal and sealed the victory at 133 pounds thanks to 2:55 of advantage time.
The match concluded at 133 pounds with David Cunningham defeating Shane Manuel 9-5. Cunningham is now third on the team in wins with 13 and improved his dual record to 3-3.
The Bison will host Wyoming on Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Bison Sports Arena. Wyoming is 4-5 on the season and defeated South Dakota State 26-18 in Brookings on Jan. 27. Match time is scheduled to start at 2 p.m.
North Dakota State 27, Air Force 9
125--Mike Meger (NDSU) wins via forfeit
133--Eric Sanders (NDSU) dec. Brandon Strong 7-6
141--David Cunningham (NDSU) dec. Shane Manuel 9-5
149--Bridger Lord (AF) dec. Gabe Mooney 7-4
157--Zach Lord (AF) dec. Adam Aho 10-6
165--Zach Molitor (NDSU) dec. Greg Ford 7-2
174--Matt Hermann (NDSU) dec. Stephen Crozier 9-8
184--Matt Wetterling (NDSU) pin Zane Hershey 0:51
197--Brenden McLean (AF) dec. Jacob Bryce 3-2
Hwt.--Mike Maresh (NDSU) dec. Frank McGrath 11-4
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