Iowa State comes up short against Oklahoma State

AMES - Kyven Gadson shot in on Luke Bean, catching him off guard and quickly throwing him to his back. Seven seconds later, Gadson stood up, arms raised, to the roar of the Hilton Coliseum crowd. He knew Iowa State had a shot to win.

Gadson's enthusiasm brought the crowd to life as the Cyclones were down just two points heading into the final match of the day. But a 4-3 decision by No. 5 Austin Marsden against Quean Smith gave No. 7 Oklahoma State a 20-15 dual win against No. 8 Iowa State on Sunday.

'We really should have beaten them today,” ISU Coach Kevin Jackson said.

'It hurts,” Gadson, the 197-pounder, said. 'We put ourselves in a position to win with that heavyweight match. It doesn't all lie on his shoulders, but he did have an opportunity to win that heavyweight match.”

While the heavyweight match was an easy one for the Cyclones (6-2, 0-1 Big 12) to look at, there were other opportunities to get points.

Kyle Larson kicked things off at 125 pounds and entered the third period leading 6-1. However two takedowns, two escapes and riding time let No. 10 Eddie Klimara walk away with the 8-7 decision, starting the Cyclones off in a 3-0 hole.

Iowa State clawed back with wins from Earl Hall at 133 pounds and Gabe Moreno at 149 pounds, but in losses by Dante Rodriguez, Luke Goettl, Mike Moreno and Tanner Weatherman, it was the lack of attacks that sealed those matches. Jackson felt there was a big missed opportunity.

'They wanted it a lot more than us at those weight classes,” Jackson said. 'They just wanted to win more than we did at those weight classes and that's what is most disappointing. Especially with the time, energy and work that our guys put in, you figure you would want to get rewarded for all that hard work. For that not to happen is disappointing.”

A 5-1 decision by Lelund Weatherspoon at 184 pounds had Iowa State in striking distance when Gadson stepped onto the mat. Gadson had a 3-1 lead in the second period, but a quick takedown with Bean being thrown to his back put Iowa State in a position to win the dual.

Jackson said Gadson's ability to get bonus points at any given point during the match can change the outlook for Iowa State in a dual, and that he has more chances - with two Big 12 duals coming up - to do the same thing.

'He should go on a nice little run here if he keeps that same intensity and continues to look for those opportunities,” Jackson said.

After beating a top-10 team last weekend - Virginia Tech - in Hilton Coliseum and falling just short of doing it again with Oklahoma State, Hall sees it as another opportunity to go back to the drawing board and correct some mistakes.

'Leading up to this week, I just thought to myself, ‘Let's just keep climbing up the ladder and get better every week,'” Hall said. 'We missed an opportunity, but we'll be better. We'll be ready for Oklahoma and go out there and compete to the best of our ability.”

125 - No. 10 Eddie Klimara (OSU) dec. Kyle Larson 8-7 (1:55)

133 - No. 6 Earl Hall (ISU) dec. Gary Wayne Harding 9-5 (1:23)

141 - No. 18 Dean Heil (OSU) maj. dec. Dante Rodriguez 17-3 (2:30)

149 - No. 13 Gabe Moreno (ISU) dec. Davey Dolan 7-2 (3:08)

157 - Anthony Collica (OSU) dec. vs. Luke Goettl 8-2 (1:13)

165 - No. 1 Alex Dieringer (OSU) maj. dec. No. 4 Michael Moreno 13-3 (3:24)

174 - Kyle Crutchmer (OSU) dec. No. 10 Tanner Weatherman 7-4

184 - No. 17 Lelund Weatherspoon (ISU) dec. No. 15 Nolan Boyd 5-1

197 - No. 3 Kyven Gadson (ISU) WBF Luke Bean 3:50

285 - No. 5 Austin Marsden (OSU) dec. Quean Smith 4-3