GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.  The 23rd-ranked Mountaineers nearly pulled off the upset of host and 12th-ranked Colorado Mesa University Thursday night, but the Mavericks rallied from an 11-point deficit after seven weights to escape with a 21-17 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference win in the Annual Battle in Brownson.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Colorado Mesa def. Western Colorado, 21-17
Records: Western 9-8 (4-3 RMAC), Mesa 8-4 (6-0)
Location: Brownson Arena, Grand Junction, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Mountaineers used wins from Patrick Allis at 125, Dean Noble at 141, Jason Hanenberg at 149, Hunter Mullin at 165 and Cole Hernandez at 174 to forge a 17-6 lead with three weights remaining.
• Allis started the night off on the right foot with a 9-5 decision over sixth-ranked Dawson Collins, but CMU would even the score with a narrow 4-1 decision at 133 by No. 9 Collin Metzgar.
• The Mountaineers gained back the momentum with Noble's 9-3 decision and Hanenberg's 6-2 decision to take a 9-3 lead in the match.
• The Mavs' sixth-ranked Ryan Wheeler registered only one takedown of Western's Ryan Wilson at 157, but Wheeler added an escape and ride point to eke out a 4-1 decision that pulled CMU to within three points.
• Mullin's match at 165 was a low-scoring thriller against ninth-ranked Gus Dalton. Scoreless after the first Dalton deferred choice to start the second and Mullin notched the first point with an early escape in a period in which no other points were scored.
• Dalton was on bottom to start the third and his escape evened the match, and with no other points in the third the pair moved to a two-minute sudden-victory period. It didn't take long though as Mullin ripped off an early takedown to win the match, 3-1.
• The most lopsided match of the night for Western was from Hernandez, ranked ninth nationally. He dropped in four takedowns on Braeson Lewis in the opening period, added three more to a four-point near fall in the second, and finished the match off with an escape then a takedown (along with a ride point) for a 22-5 technical fall at 5:20.
• That result pushed Western's lead to 17-6, but CMU would rally over the next three weights.
• The difference in the match between CMU's Jason Bynarowicz and Western's Hayden Johnson at 184 was a second-period reversal in Bynarowicz' 5-3 decision. And the Mavs completed the rally with a second period fall at 197 and a third period fall at 285.

UP NEXT

• Western's reserves and redshirts will participate Sunday in the Colorado School of Mines Open.
• The NCAA Division II Super Region 6 Championship is in two weeks in Chadron, Nebraska.