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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The ninth-ranked Illini fell into an early 18-0 hole against 18th-ranked Lehigh on Saturday at Huff Hall, which proved to be too much to overcome. After closing the deficit to just three points (18-15), Illinois dropped the final two matches of the day, falling 24-15 to the visiting Mountain Hawks.

"We lost one match in overtime and two one point matches, which were all very winnable matches," said head coach Jim Heffernan. "They are a good team and that is why we wrestled them. We are trying to get our guys as prepared as we can for the Big Ten season, and you do that by wrestling good teams. This is a good measure of where we are at and what we need to do, and sometimes you learn as much or more from losses than you do from wins."

The match began with the heavyweight battle, featuring Brooks Black and Douglas Vollaro. Tied at 1-1 after the third period, the bout went into overtime, where Vollaro recorded a takedown in sudden victory to earn the 3-1 victory. The Illini forfeited the 125-pound matchup, giving Lehigh a 9-0 lead after just two weight classes.

Dominic Olivieri battled Mason Beckman at 133 pounds, falling 6-3 after Beckman took control of the third period. At 141 pounds, Steven Rodrigues suffered a loss by fall to Randy Cruz at 1:30, expanding the Mountain Hawks' lead to 18-0.

The Illini comeback began at 141 pounds, where Kyle Langenderfer earned a 17-7 major decision victory over Drew Longo. Langenderfer recorded five takedowns and two near falls in the bout.

At 157 pounds, Isaiah Martinez got the Illini closer with a 25-9 technical fall over William Switzer. Leading 4-1 after the first period, Martinez revved up the action in the second and third periods, recording seven takedowns in the final two periods.

Illinois got decision victories from Jackson Morse at 165 pounds and Zac Brunson at 174 pounds, cutting the Lehigh lead to 18-15. Morse defeated Santiago Martinez, 7-5, while Brunson upended Marshall Peppelman, 6-2.

Needing wins in the final two weight classes to completed the come-from-behind victory, the Illini came up short, dropping each of the last two bouts. Nikko Reyes fell to fifth-ranked Nathaniel Brown, 2-1, at 184 pounds, and Jeff Koepke fell to John Bolich at 197 pounds, 4-3.

With the loss, the Illini have suffered their first blemish in a dual meet this year. The Orange and Blue are now 6-1 and will be off until after Christmas. They will return to action on Dec. 29-30 at the Midlands Championships in Evanston, Illinois.

"We need to train and fix some of our problems," explained Heffernan. "We have some mental things we need to take care of but they are all very simple fixes."

Lehigh 24, Illinois 15
285 - Douglas Vollaro dec. #18 Brooks Black, 3-1 (SV1)
125 - Scott Parker won by forfeit
133 - #5 Mason Beckman dec. Dominic Olivieri, 6-3
141 - Randy Cruz pinned #14 Steven Rodrigues, 1:30
149 - Kyle Langenderfer maj. dec. Drew Longo, 17-7
157 - #6 Isaiah Martinez tech fall William Switzer, 25-9
165 - #12 Jackson Morse dec. Santiago Martinez, 7-5
174 - #9 Zac Brunson dec. Marshall Peppelman, 6-2
184 - #5 Nathaniel Brown dec. #13 Nikko Reyes, 2-1
197 - John Bolich dec. Jeff Koepke, 4-3