Witcraft gets first dual victory since 2021 in Cowboys win

Reece Witcraft channeled all of his losses into a dominant first period.

Witcraft had lost his past four bouts, two tournament matches and two duals matches. Going into his match against No. 25 Tanner Jordan, coach John Smith said Witcraft would have to steal a spot in the

NCAA Championships. His victory set things off for No. 7 OSU’s 19-12 win against No. 16 South Dakota State. Witcaft’s win could give him the confidence to steal a spot in the NCAA tournament in March after wrestling close matches through three bouts.

Witcraft picked up a takedown and a four-point turn to give him six after the first period. He would give up a reversal in the second period and a takedown in the third, but would fire back with a reversal of his own and had over two minutes of riding time to pick up a 9-5 decision. It was Witcraft’s first win in over two years, since a 10-0 major decision over Little Rock’s Jaylen Carson on Feb. 7, 2021.

Daton Fix (133) said Witcraft motivated him during his matches against Noah Surtin of Missouri and Jack Medley of Michigan.

With the game knotted at 50, Lipsey drained a free throw and directed the fans inside James H. Hilton Coliseum to make noise. OSU seemingly zoned them out as they closed the game on a 14-6 run that started with a JohnMichael Wright mid-range jumper and a quick steal that led to a Caleb Asberry 3-pointer.

The Cowboys defeated No. 11 Iowa State, 6456, Saturday night to earn their third consecutive road win and a season sweep over the Cyclones. The win also gives Iowa State its first home loss of the season.

“Our guys never flinched, they kept knowing that we could string two or three stops together,”

OSU coach Mike

Boynton said. “We cut down on the turnovers (in the second half) and rebounded the ball really well late.”

Following his game-winning put-back layup on Wednesday, Wright shined once again. He posted 19 points on 60% shooting, including 50% from behind the arc, and delivered plenty of smooth passes between the Cyclones’ double teams in the final minutes.

“I pride myself on finishing games, whether it be scoring, playing defense, getting steals and getting assists,” Wright said.

“I try to affect the game everywhere I can toward the end (of the game) because that’s the most important part.”

At halftime, the Cowboys trailed and had committed more turnovers than field goals made.