GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.  Western Colorado erased a 12-point deficit at the start of Friday afternoon's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference wrestling match against San Francisco State, winning the next five weights with bonus point victories to eventually defeat the Gators, 23-21, in a neutral-site match.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Western def. SF State, 23-21
Records: Western 2-2 (1-0 RMAC), SF State 0-3 (0-1)
Location: Brownson Arena, Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Gators earned their initial points from Western forfeits at 125 and 133, but the complexion of the match changed drastically in the 141-pound match.
• Noah Kasprowicz got the Mountaineers rolling by scoring a first-period 15-0 technical fall in just 2 minutes, 51 seconds, cutting the team deficit to 12-5.
• At 149, Dean Noble broke a 3-3 tie with a takedown and 4-point nearfall in the closing moments of the second period. Noble would go on to score a 14-5 major decision that further cut into the Gators' lead.
• Ryan Wilson put Western ahead for good at 157, scoring a 14-3 major that lifted the Mountaineers into a 13-12 lead.
• The bonus train kept rolling at 165 when Ryan Dirksen registered the first pin of the match. After Dirksen deferred his choice to start the second period, the Gators' Kyle Botelho picked bottom, which proved to be an unfortunate choice. Dirksen maintained his advantage until finally getting Botelho on his back and completing the action for a fall at the 4:24 mark.
• Third-ranked Cole Hernandez was the fifth straight bonus points win for Western, completing the five-bout string at 174. Hernandez finished the first period with a 7-0 lead, then outscored Gage Mettler in the second (4-2) to complete the major win, 11-2.
• The Gators bit back over the final three weights, getting decisions at 184, 197 and 285, but the 11-point deficit after Hernandez' win was too large to overcome.

UP NEXT
The Mountaineers head to Indianapolis for the Midwest Classic on December 16 and 17.