COLUMBIA, Mo. -- After Brian Realbuto won a toss-up decision at 174 pounds to give Cornell a 12-10 lead with three matches, two favoring the Big Red on paper, Missouri had to put its trust in its upper weights to keep its 34-match dual meet win streak alive. That trust was well-placed - barely.

Both teams won five matches, but No. 4 Missouri (7-0) won a pair of bonus point matches and that was the difference in an 18-17 victory over No. 14 Cornell (1-3) on Sunday afternoon at Jesse Hall Auditorium. With nearly its full lineup for the first time all season, the Big Red announced that it will be a factor in the national title race before it's all over.

The Big Red won two-of-three matchups between nationally ranked wrestlers, but it was Missouri's decision to avoid a fourth that likely allowed it to end the day with a victory.

Heading into what was expected to be a spotlight matchup between No. 1 Gabe Dean and No. 4 Willie Miklus at 184 pounds, the Tigers pulled their ranked wrestler in favor of brother Tim Miklus. Dean, who is 3-0 all-time against the older brother, dominated the match with an 18-1 technical fall to push Cornell's lead to 17-10 heading into the final two matches.

Missouri tactially moved Willie Miklus up to 197 pounds, while second-ranked J'den Cox at 197 moved to heavyweight with both wrestling unranked competitors. Needing at least one bonus point to tie and two to win, the strategy nearly backfired, as Jake Taylor gave Willie Miklus all he could handle. Taylor led 7-6 heading into the third period against his highly-ranked opponent, but Miklus was able to prevail thanks to a stall call in the final minute.

Trailing 17-13, the dual came down to Cox's matchup with rising Big Red heavyweight Jeramy Sweany. Though already claiming one win over a nationally-ranked wrestler and multiple close losses, Sweany couldn't breakthrough against the powerful Cox, who rode a boisterous crowd in the auditorium to the tech fall victory and the win despite a valiant late effort to earn an escape point, which would have allowed the team score to finish tied 17-17.

Freshman Dalton Macri got the meet started on the right foot for the Big Red by upsetting No. 8 Barlow McGhee, 7-6. A four-point move by the rookie got the scoring started the right way and he held off McGhee to pick up his first career win over a ranked opponent.

Senior Nahshon Garrett improved to 24-0 on the season by avenging a dual meet loss at 133 pounds to Zach Synon. Garrett jumped out to a 4-1 first period lead with more than two minutes of riding time en route to a 12-5 victory over 11th-ranked Synon.

Missouri earned a pair of strong victories behind ranked wrestlers at 141 (No. 11 Matt Manley) and 149 (No. 4 Lavion Mayes) to regain the lead at 7-6 after four matches, but Cornell regained the edge at the midway point thanks to the return of Dylan Palacio at 157. The junior, who entered the season ranked in the top 10 before missing the first semester due to injury, reversed Le'Roy Barnes twice and earned a takedown of his own en route to the victory.

In what was arguably the top match of the night, sixth-ranked Daniel Lewis earned a rideout victory over No. 17 Duke Pickett with a late escape in the second rideout. Pickett's third period takedown, the only one of the match, sent it into an extra session.

Brian Realbuto got back on the winning path with a 3-2 decision over No. 8 Blaise Butler, as his takedown in the opening 30 seconds was the difference in a low-scoring, but high-action, match. Dean was never challenged, physically dominating the younger Miklus brother for the tech fall.

Cornell looks to extend its string of 68 consecutive Ivy League match victories and take its first step toward a 14th consecutive Ancient Eight title when it welcomes Harvard (Jan. 15, 6:30 p.m.) and Brown (Jan. 16, 1 p.m.) to the Friedman Wrestling Center next weekend. The Big Red leads the all-time series with the Crimson 53-9 and has won 13 consecutive matches dating back to Harvard's last win in 2001. Cornell has a 52-2 edge against Brown and has won 18 straight dating back to Brown's last win in 1997.

---

#4 Missouri 18, #14 Cornell 17
Jan. 10, 2016 * Columbia, Mo. (Jesse Hall Auditorium)
125: Dalton Macri (C) won by decision over #8 Barlow McGhee (M), 7-6
133: #1 Nahshon Garrett (C) won by decision over #11 Zach Synon (M), 12-5
141: #11 Matt Manley (M) won by major decision over Will Koll (C), 11-1
149: #4 Lavion Mayes (C) won by decision over Joey Galasso (C), 9-2
157: Dylan Palacio (C) won by decision over Le'Roy Barnes (M), 9-7
165: #6 Daniel Lewis (M) won by decision over #17 Duke Pickett (C), 3-2 (ot1)
174: #6 Brian Realbuto (C) won by decision over #8 Blaise Butler (M), 3-2
184: #1 Gabe Dean (C) won by technical fall over Tim Miklus (M), 18-1
197: #4 Willie Miklus (M) won by decision over Jake Taylor (C), 8-7
285: #2 J'den Cox (M) won by technical fall over Jeramy Sweany (C), 24-9