No. 15 Chris Chionuma of Oklahoma State celebrates after beating No. 10 Ethen Lofthouse of Iowa, 3-2 at 184 pounds. Photo courtesy of Oklahoma State.

STILLWATER, Okla – Third period takedowns, when it comes to Oklahoma State and Iowa, have often been the difference.

On Sunday in front of 5,537 at Gallagher-Iba Arena, second-ranked Oklahoma State found those takedowns in the final two minutes in an 18-12 dual meet victory.

Fourth-ranked Iowa led 12-3 after top-ranked Derek St. John remained unbeaten at 157 pounds with an 8-4 decision of Alex Dieringer. But the Cowboys (8-0) then reeled off five straight, including four straight one-pointers from 165 to 197 that included third period takedowns.

Neither coach was very happy after the match.

“It was a classic match of battles; it was tough,” said OSU head coach John Smith. “We did what we needed to do to win the dual. But we made a lot of mistakes that we have to correct from here.

“One takedown in a lot of those matches… but sometimes that is all it is.”

Iowa boss Tom Brands had the team quickly loaded for the trip back to Iowa City after Alan Gelogaev’s 7-3 win over Bobby Telford at 285 pounds to finish the dual.

“Finishing was the difference today,” said Brands, whose squad fell to 12-1. “It was the difference between winning the matches and the meet.”

At 165 pounds, OSU’s Tyler Caldwell scored a takedown with 32 seconds remaining to beat Nick Moore. A flurry that included a takedown and possibly a reverse, or escape, or no takedown at all went to video review where Caldwell (16-3) was given the decisive two in a 3-2 win.

Top-ranked Chris Perry (18-0) edged No. 4 Mike Evans, 4-3, thanks to 1:20 of riding time at 174 pounds. Evans (9-1) scored a late takedown but riding time proved key.

At 184 pounds, Iowa All-American Ethan Lofthouse was locked in a 1-1 battle with Chris Chionuma in the final period. Chionuma (15-5) used a slick ankle pick with 1:10 showing and eventually won 3-2 to tie the dual at 12-12.

“Coach Smith has been talking to me about how I am right there,” said the former NAIA national champion. “I think too much during my matches. The coaches have talked to me about believing I belong on the mat with these D-I guys. My ranking, my first year here, from an NAIA school … I have to quit thinking about all that stuff and just wrestle.

“I have never wrestled in a dual with a crowd this big with everybody’s eyes on me. It was big.”

Off the mat since Dec. 9 due to injury Blake Rosholt returned in a key bout for the hosts. The junior 197-pounder entered just 5-1 and countered a Nathan Burak shot in the final minute to win 3-2 and give the Cowboys their first lead of the afternoon.

“I was pretty nervous,” said Rosholt. “I haven’t been out there in a while so I was a bit sluggish. It was great to be able to come back for a big dual like Iowa, especially to help the team get a big win.”

Gelogaev (11-1) led 4-3 entering the final period, and a takedown in the final five seconds gave him a four-point advantage.

Bonus points did not exist on Sunday.

Two former NCAA champions and unbeatens – Matt McDonough and Jordan Oliver – could not reach the eight-point margin. McDonough (10-0) beat OSU rookie Eddie Klimara, 10-4, at 125 pounds, while Oliver (18-0) beat Mike Kelly by the same score at 149 pounds.

The Hawkeyes built an early lead thanks to decisions by McDonough, Tony Ramos at 133, and Mark Ballweg at 149.

Ramos battled fellow Illinois product Jon Morrison, ranked fifth, to the wire, fighting off a late takedown attempt in a 3-2 decision. Ramos moved to 13-0 for the season.

Ballweg (12-1) had three takedowns and 2:09 of riding time in beating fellow Iowan Julian Feikert, 8-3, at 141 pounds.

“I’m proud of the win but we can take this tape and get a lot better from it,” said Smith. “We made a lot of mental errors in matches and this is the time to correct those mistakes. There are a lot of things to point to where we need to get better.

“Was Tom Brands happy with the way his team wrestled? I doubt it. Neither are we.”

Oklahoma State now leads the all-time series with Iowa, 27-18-2. 

The Cowboys host new Big 12 Conference member West Virginia next Friday. Iowa travels to Michigan face the Wolverines Friday and the Spartans on Sunday

No. 2 OKLAHOMA STATE 18, No. 4 IOWA 12 
Jan. 13, 2013 at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.) 

125: No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) dec. Eddie Klimara (OSU); 10-4
133: No. 2 Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. No. 5 Jon Morrison (OSU); 3-2
141: No. 10 Mark Ballweg (Iowa) dec. Julian Feikert (OSU); 8-3
149: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) dec. Michael Kelly (Iowa); 10-4
157: No. 1 Derek St. John (Iowa) dec. No. 9 Alex Dieringer (OSU); 8-4
165: No. 3 Tyler Caldwell (OSU) dec. No. 18 Nick Moore (Iowa); 3-2
174: No. 1 Chris Perry (OSU) dec. No. 4 Mike Evans (Iowa); 4-3
184: No. 15 Chris Chionuma (OSU) dec. No. 10 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa); 3-2
197: Blake Rosholt (OSU) dec. Nathan Burak (Iowa); 3-2
285: No. 3 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) dec. No. 7 Bobby Telford (Iowa); 7-3

Officials: Mike Hagerty and Gary Mayabb
Attendance: 5,537