No. 12 Illinois (9-4, 2-2) defeated No. 17 Rutgers (8-5, 2-3) 17-16 Saturday at Huff Hall. The matchup was originally scheduled for Sunday, but was moved to Saturday due to forecasted inclement weather.
The dual ended with a 5-5 match split and a 16-16 tie score. This meant that every single point of the match was vital to securing victory. The final score was ultimately decided by the third tiebreaking criterion of match points, in which the Illini held a 46-42 advantage.
Illinois claimed an early lead as graduate students Spencer Moore and Lucas Byrd secured victories at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively. Rutgers quickly responded to tie the dual at six all in the 141 and 149-pound matches.
After missing time due to a concussion, redshirt sophomore Kannon Webster returned to claim a major decision victory 13-4 over graduate student Anthony White in the 157-pound bout. Redshirt sophomore Braeden Scoles continued this momentum with an 8-2 decision over 165-pound redshirt freshman Andrew Barbosa to put Illinois up 13-6.
The Scarlet Knights claimed wins in 174-, 197-, and 285-pound bouts. However, Illinois 184-pound redshirt sophomore Chris Moore claimed an upset victory over redshirt sophomore Shane Cartagena-Walsh in a 2-1 decision.
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Illinois remains at home for next week’s matchup against No. 25 Indiana (6-3, 1-2) Friday at Huff Hall. The dual airs on the Big Ten Network at 9 p.m. CST.
