CEDAR FALLS – Bobby Douglas’ assessment was short and bitter.

The 14-year head coach wasn’t happy when the ISU wrestling team exited after its first day at last weekend’s NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals.

“We got licked,” Douglas said. “We got a lickin’ from Minnesota, never recovered and got another one from Missouri. We have to do better.”

After two deflating losses in the UNI-Dome, the eighth-ranked Cyclones (8-4) turn their focus to the heart of the dual season.

Iowa State beat Northwestern, 20-16, to open action on Saturday, but an anticipated rematch with second-ranked Minnesota wasn’t close.

The Gophers cruised past the Cyclones, 32-6, on their way to the tournament championship. Missouri then knocked Iowa State out of the consolation rounds, 21-18.

But with road duals against Northern Iowa, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in the next two weeks, the Cyclones don’t have time to worry about their showing.

“We just have to get back to the room and regroup,” said redshirted junior Trent Paulson. “It is always disappointing when you don’t make it to the second day of National Duals when you are a top 10 team, [but] we just have to keep on getting better at the little things and try to get healthy. There are a lot of guys banged up, which is hurting us.”

Paulson’s return was one of the few bright spots of the tournament. After missing almost a month of competition because of illness, the third-ranked 157-pounder won all three of his matches, including a revenge bout with Minnesota’s C.P. Schlatter.

Paulson’s (16-1) only loss was to the Gopher, a 5-4 decision in the 21-13 dual loss earlier in the season. He shutout Schlatter on Saturday, 4-0.

Redshirted senior Nate Gallick (22-0), who went 3-0 on the day, was the only other Cyclone to win during the Minnesota dual.

“We’ve got to get our heads screwed on right again and get ready for our next duals,” Gallick said. “It is an important tournament for us, but not the end of the world.”

Gallick was slammed hard onto the mat by Missouri’s Chris McCormick 1:09 into their match. The 141-pounder came back to win, 7-4, but it was the first time this season an opponent scored a takedown on Gallick.

Missouri built up a lead with a pin and a tech fall at the 165 and 174 pound weight classes. Tiger Matt Pell pinned redshirted freshman Dane Kuper, and Ben Asken beat redshirted sophomore David Bertolino, 22-7, in six minutes.

Jeff Foust’s major decision victory over freshman Joe Curran (197) sealed the win for Missouri, ending the Cyclones chances of placing in the 16-team tournament.

“We’ve done poor here in the past and come back strong for Nationals, so I think that is what we need to do,” Gallick said. “It’s January, we’ve got a couple months. There is plenty of season left, so we’ll get there.”

Redshirted junior Travis Paulson (165) sat out the third dual of the tournament after dropping a 3-2 double-overtime match to Minnesota’s Matt Nagel.

Bertolino put a scare in Northwestern’s second-ranked Jake Herbert early in the day. The Cyclone was up 4-3 early in the third period, but Herbert had two takedowns – including one with 15 seconds remaining – in an 8-5 decision.

Minnesota heavyweight Cole Konrad pinned Oklahoma State two-time national champion Steve Mocco to give the Gophers a 21-14 victory in the championship match.

Iowa State heads to Cedar Falls again this weekend, dualing Northern Iowa on Saturday.