Minneapolis, Minn.-- Top-ranked and defending national champion Minnesota proved to be too much for the 20th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team Friday night as the Gophers improved to 7-0 with a 27-12 win over the Huskers at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minn. Nebraska falls to 7-4 on the year.

In the highlighted match of the night at 157 pounds, top-ranked Bryan Snyder and third-ranked Luke Becker wrestled to a 4-4 tie after three periods. Snyder got up early with a first period takedown and led 3-1 late into the second period, but Becker got in for a takedown of his own to tie the match at three. Snyder, a three-time All-American, managed a crucial escape before the end of the second period to take a 4-3 lead. At the start of the third period, Becker tallied an escape to score the last point in regulation.

In sudden victory overtime, neither wrestler was able to score, sending the match to the 30-second tiebreaker. Since Snyder scored the first offensive point of the match, he had the choice of starting position, choosing down. It took the Easton, Pa., native just two seconds to escape and improve to 21-0.

Minnesota jumped out to a 6-0 lead after the first two bouts of the evening. Olympic bronze medalist Garrett Lowney opened the dual for the Gophers at heavyweight with a 10-3 win over junior Pat Miron. At 125 pounds, second-ranked Leroy Vega dominated the match against seventh-ranked Jason Powell, winning by a score of 10-4. Powell drops to 17-3 on the season.

The Huskers bounced back at 133 pounds as sophomore Joey Malia notched his sixth pin of the season with a fall at the 1:43 mark over Eric Anderson to tie the dual at 6-6. Malia improves to 11-5 on the year.

At 141 pounds, sophomore Dusty Spaulding got off to a quick start for Nebraska, scoring a quick takedown on second-ranked Chad Erikson in the first period, but Erikson recovered and went on to win the match, 12-7.

Third-ranked Jared Lawrence put the Gophers up 15-6 by pinning junior Scott Burnett at the 3:34 mark heading into the 157-pound match. After Snyder