Iowa’s top-ranked 149-pounder Mike Zadick sums his team’s style up best when he says that the best defense is offense.

The fifth-ranked Hawkeyes flawlessly utilized that strategy in a 21-16 victory over No. 6 Iowa State Sunday at Hilton Coliseum.

The victory is the 28th straight in the series for the Hawkeyes, who won 7 of 10 matches wrestled.

The Cyclones struggled with the attacking Hawkeyes, failing to score a takedown in the seven matches they lost.

“Iowa was really schooled on how to wrestle us, and they did a great job,” ISU head coach Bobby Douglas said. “We need to control the tie-up better, and we made some technical mistakes. Until we change some things, this streak isn’t going to stop, and we’re going to be on the tail end.”

The dual came down to the last match and Zadick clinched the 28th straight Hawkeye win in the rivalry with a 10-4 win over Billy Maldonado at 149.

Zadick now owns a 5-1 edge on Maldonado in six career meetings.

Zadick only led 4-3 after two periods, but broke the match open with two third-period takedowns.

“That’s the key, getting in on their legs, because your best defense is your offense,” Zadick said.

“That’s why they [Iowa State] weren’t in on us, because we were too busy in on them. Our coach always tells us to smell blood when we’re in on a guy, and when you get in on a leg, you have to finish.”

The Hawkeyes scored no bonus points on the night. The workman-like effort was enough to hold off three big Cyclones wins.

The Cyclones received pins from the No. 1 ranked duo of Joe Heskett and Cael Sanderson at 165 and 197 respectively, and got a major decision from Aaron Holker at 141.

Sanderson wasted little time, getting a pin in 1:41 over Ryan Fulsaas, while Heskett built an 11-4 lead before using a cradle to pin Corey Connell in 4:18.

Connell, normally a 149-pounder, moved up two weights to face Heskett in place of injured Hawkeye Ben Shirk.

“I felt in control the whole match,” Heskett said. “I was just trying to be patient and let the cradle come to me. I tried to set it up, but I really wasn’t going for it. I was making it more of a mind game.”

The Hawkeyes won three straight after Sanderson’s pin and held a 18-12 advantage heading into 141 where Holker dominated.

Holker scored two takedowns and a reversal, but did damage on top with a three-point near-fall.

Holker piled up over five minutes of riding time and rode tough enough to get four stalling points on an inactive Moffitt.

“He [Moffitt] needs to get better on bottom,” Hawkeye coach Jim Zalesky said. “I’ve seen him get rode like that in practice. You’re not going to win many matches when you get rode for over five minutes.”

Holker needed to win to keep the Cyclones in the meet, because the Hawkeyes pulled an upset at 133 when No. 12-ranked Marc Juergens scored an escape and takedown in a split second early in the third period to win a 4-1 decision.

“Marc looked good coming in, and that was a big win for us,” Zalesky said. “We won the close matches and stayed on the offensive. Anytime you win a tournament or dual meet, you have to win the close matches.”

One Cyclone defeat that wasn’t as hard to swallow was at heavyweight where the Hawkeyes highly-touted true freshman Steve Mocco had a 60-pound advantage on Mark Knauer.

Mocco won 9-5.

Knauer was in Mocco’s face from the start and took several shots, but couldn’t take the big freshman down.

Mocco only scored when countering Knauer shots and was wore out and in retreat mode late in the match, giving Knauer a stalling point.

“Knauer wrestled a very good match,” Douglas said. “On some of those tie-ups, the referee could’ve called a couple of right crosses on Mark, because he was tying up hard. That was a smart way to wrestle Mocco, but it’s not very smart to go underneath a guy that weighs 270 pounds in the third period especially when you’re trying to pull out a win.”

boxscore

Iowa 21, Iowa State 16

157 – Matt Anderson, Iowa, dec. Matt Veach, ISU, 6-2.

165 – Joe Heskett, ISU, pinned Corey Connell, Iowa, 4:18.

174 – Tyler Nixt, Iowa, dec. Nick Pasaalano, ISU, 10-4.

184 – Jessman Smith, Iowa, dec. Austen Palmer, ISU, 4-1.

197 – Cael Sanderson, ISU, pinned Ryan Fulsaas, Iowa, 1:41.

HWT – Steve Mocco, Iowa, dec. Mark Knauer, ISU, 9-5.

125 – Luke Eustice, Iowa, dec. Ty Malia, ISU, 8-3.

133 – Marc Juergens, Iowa, dec. Zach Roberson, ISU, 4-1.

141 – Aaron Holker, ISU, dec. Luke Moffitt, Iowa, 14-0.

149 – Mike Zadick, Iowa, dec. Billy Maldonado, ISU, 10-4.