OREM, Utah – Despite a pair of bonus-point victories from seniors Chasen Tolbert and Jade Rauser, the Utah Valley University wrestling team fell to Arizona State by a score of 24-16 on Thursday night at the PE Building.
 
In all, the Wolverines (3-6, 0-0 Big 12) won four of the 10 bouts in the contest over the Pac-12 Sun Devils (8-6, 0-1) that are currently receiving votes for the top 25 poll. 
 
"I was very pleased with how our senior leaders wrestled. I also thought that Raider looked good too," head coach Greg Williams said. "The difference in the match however, was that we didn't have enough of our guys go out and compete. When we compete, good things happen. And that didn't occur tonight in a few of our weight classes."
 
Trailing 12-0 after three matches, the 19th-ranked senior 125-pounder Tolbert wasted no time getting the Wolverines on the board with a first-period fall. Following a quick takedown and a two-point nearfall, Tolbert finished off ASU's Mikel Perales by pinning him in 1:33 to cut the team deficit in half (12-6). The fellow senior Rauser (133 pounds) then followed with an 11-0 major decision over Tyree Owens to make it a 12-10 contest. Rauser, who was tabbed the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week earlier this week, cruised to the bonus-point victory with a pair of takedowns, a four-point nearfall, an escape, a penalty point and an additional riding time point to earn the shutout victory.
 
In a tightly contested bout at 141 pounds, Arizona State's Robbie Mathers then managed to hold on to a 10-8 decision over UVU junior Trevor Willson to extend the Sun Devils' advantage to 15-10. With the match tied at 5-5 entering the third period, Mathers took a 9-7 lead following back-to-back takedowns. Willson was then awarded a late penalty point, but Mathers held on for the victory by adding an addition riding time point. ASU later extended its lead to 18-10 after another hard fought victory at 149. With Wolverine sophomore Matthew Ontiveros and Arizona State's Christian Pagdiliao all tied up at 5-5 late in the match, Pagdilao reeled off two clutch takedowns to seal a 9-6 decision victory.  
 
With the team score remaining at 18-10, Utah Valley redshirt freshman Raider Lofthouse pulled the Wolverines to within five, at 18-13, following a 6-2 decision over Oliver Pierce. Lofthouse managed to score when it mattered most, as he pieced together a six-point final period thanks to an escape, a pair of takedowns and a stall point to take the bout by four points.  
 
Following a pin from ASU's Jacen Petersen at 165 pounds to seal the dual for the Sun Devils, UVU senior Ross Taylor (174) then capped the dual with a 6-1 decision over Preston McCalmon to conclude the night with the final score of 24-16.
 
The Wolverines will now remain home to prepare for their 2015-16 conference openers against both South Dakota State and North Dakota State on Friday, Feb. 5. The contests will mark Utah Valley's inaugural conference dual meets as a member of the Big 12 Conference.
 
Arizona State (RV) 24, Utah Valley 16
184: #8 Blake Stauffer (ASU) over Will Sumner (UVU), MD 9-1
197: Joshua Dasilveira (ASU) over Aryton Almberg (UVU), TF 19-2 (5:17)
285: #10 Tanner Hall (ASU) over Dustin Dennison (UVU), Dec. 2-1
125: #19 Chasen Tolbert (UVU) over Mikel Perales (ASU), Fall 1:33
133: Jade Rauser (UVU) over Tyree Owens (ASU), MD 11-0
141: Robbie Mathers (ASU) over Trevor Willson (UVU), Dec. 10-8
149: Christian Pagdilao (ASU) over Matthew Ontiveros (UVU), Dec. 9-6
157: Raider Lofthouse (UVU) over Oliver Pierce (ASU), Dec. 6-2
165: Jacen Petersen (ASU) over Brayden Humpherys (UVU), Fall 6:13
174: Ross Taylor (UVU) over Preston McCalmon (ASU), Dec. 6-1

Attendance: 1207
Official: Les Rasmussen