GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado fell behind by 12 points in the opening three matches of Wednesday night's non-conference dual against visiting Colorado Mesa University, and though they halved that deficit midway through the match, the 17th-ranked Mountaineers were unable to rally all the way back, dropping a 31-12 decision the 19th-ranked Mavericks.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Colorado Mesa def. Western, 31-12
Records: Western 1-2, Colorado Mesa 4-0
Location: Paul Wright Gym, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Mavs recorded bonus point wins at 125 and 133 pounds, and a decision at 141 put the visitors up 12-0 a third of the way through the night.
• Fifth-ranked Dean Noble put points up on the scoreboard for Western in the next match at 149 pounds, recording a 17-2 technical fall right at the third-period buzzer.
• Noble led only 3-0 after the first but dominated the second with an early escape and two takedowns to advance into the final period with a 10-1 lead.
• Two more takedowns and the riding time point finished off the bout for Western's first points of the night.
• The Mavericks took  points at 157 but Western responded with an exciting win from Grayson Williams at 165.
• Williams earned a takedown and four-point near of Mesa's William Alvarado in the middle of the first period, but Alvarado turned the tables with a reversal, a two-point near fall followed by a four-point near fall to take the lead, 8-7, before Williams picked up a tying point with an escape at the end of the period.
• Williams chose to start in the down position for the second period, a tactic that worked well as he picked up a two-point reversal and two-point near fall to forge a 12-8 advantage. Once again, though, Alvarado flipped the advantage with a late reversal to trail only 12-10 heading into the final period.
• Alvarado picked bottom to start the third but surrendered a two-point near fall that increased Williams' lead. For the third time in the match, however, Alvarado pulled a reversal, cutting his deficit in half. Williams got one last escape then held off the final attacks by Alvarado to earn a hard fought 15-12 win for the Mountaineers.
• Cole Hernandez, ranked third nationally, stepped onto the mat next for Western, clearly looking for bonus points to cut further into Mesa's lead in the match.
• He earned the first takedown of the match, but neither he nor Gus Dalton from CMU would score in the remainder of the period nor in the second period.
• Hernandez went to work right away in the third, earning a quick escape for one point before pounding out three more takedowns in the period, surrendering an escape point twice to go after points toward a bonus victory.
• The pin didn't come for Hernandez, but he scored 12 points in the final period to take a 15-2 major decision to cut the CMU match lead down to 18-12.
• The Mavericks didn't allow Western to gain any more ground, though, finishing off the match with a decision sandwiched around a pair of tech falls in the last three matches.

UP NEXT
Western will travel to Indianapolis to take part in the Midwest Classic on December 14 and 15.