Feb. 2, 2001
Ames, IA - Matt Azevedo pinned Witt Durden with one second left in their 133-pound match to power No. 4 Iowa State past No. 6 Oklahoma, 20-19 Friday in Hilton Coliseum. Oklahoma had gone ahead of ISU 16-14 with two matches remaining when Azevedo, trailing Durden 6-3 with 30 seconds left, caught the OU grappler on his back and got the victory by fall in their match's final tick of the clock. The victory was Iowa State's second over the Sooners this season and gives the Cyclones a 15-4 dual mark. Oklahoma falls in 11-4-1.
Oklahoma's sixth-ranked 165-pounder Robbie Waller had upset ISU's second-ranked Joe Heskett, 9-6 and after Sooner Matt Ridings scored a 21-7 125-pound win over Jacob Moore, OU owned a two-point lead heading into Azevedo's match.
"I was just trying to get a takedown and keep constant pressure on him," Azevedo said. "I was going for my shot and it was there."
Azevedo, ranked seventh nationally, is now 23-8 with a pair of wins over Durden this season. Durden, ranked 13th, falls to 23-11. The pin gave Iowa State a 20-16 lead heading into the night's final bout, where No. 2 Michael Lightner of Oklahoma beat No. 7 Zach Roberson, 7-3, leaving the Sooners one-point short in the final team score.
"That was an unbelievable match," ISU head coach Bobby Douglas said. "Matt's persistence paid off for him. We lost a couple we think we could have won and so did they."
Waller's win over Heskett improved his record to 23-4. Heskett falls to 26-4 this season and 94-7 in his career. Cyclone 184-pounder Cael Sanderson beat Josh Lambrecht, 25-10 for a technical fall win that marked his 29th victory without a loss this season and improved his career record to 108-0.