The ninth-ranked Illini wrestlers won dual matches against Purdue and No. 7 Wisconsin on their final road trip of the Big Ten season.

The wins came without top-ranked 157-pound Mike Poeta and 16th-ranked Troy Tirapelle (149). They both missed the weekend dual matches because of injuries.

The Illini won eight of ten matches Friday night against the Boilermakers. Illinois’ No. 20 Patrick Bond upset No. 13 Nathan Moore. The 9-5 decision was only Moore’s second loss in conference. Moore scored an early takedown, but Bond responded and took the lead at the end of the first period with an escape and a takedown. Bond added two points on a second-period reversal and he scored two more takedowns in the third period to beat Moore in the last home match of his career.

Senior All-American Cassio Pero (141) dominated Nick Bertucci in the final match of the night. Pero scored three takedowns before pinning Bertucci in the third period. The pin was Pero’s fourth of the season – a career best.

“We dominated tonight,” head coach Mark Johnson said. “I think we could have taken all ten weight classes, but we made some minor mistakes. We’ll fix those. We wrestled tough and this is just another stepping stone for a successful season.”

The win improved the Illini to 5-1 in the Big Ten and set up a battle with the Badgers on Sunday afternoon.

The Illini lost the opening match between heavyweights John Wise and the Badgers’ Kyle Massey. But Illinois rebounded by winning the next three matches, including Gabe Flores’ 17-2 major decision over Colli Cudd.

Freshman John Dergo (184) scored four takedowns in his win against Justin Peterson. The Badgers led 16-15 entering the ninth match of the day, but Dergo’s 9-4 decision gave the Illini the 18-16 lead with only the 197-pound match remaining.

In the final match, Bond came up big against a higher-ranked opponent for the second time of the weekend.

Bond scored an early takedown against Wisconsin’s 12th-ranked Dallas Herbst for the lead that he would not relinquish. Bond added another takedown, scored two more points from escapes and added a seventh point from riding time to defeat Herbst. Bond’s three team points clinched the Illini victory 21-16.

“The win felt great,” Bond said. “After training hard all year, and especially all week, I felt that I deserved the victory. I also feel that I have a lot more work to do to get where I know I can be.”

With the two wins, Illinois finished a perfect 4-0 on the road in the Big Ten.

“This was a big win,” Johnson said. “The guys stepped up. We had key guys out and they dug deep and found a way to get it done. I’m proud of them.”

The Illini will meet the Buckeyes next Sunday in their final conference dual before the Big Ten Championships in March.