COLUMBUS, Ohio – In a matchup between two top-five programs, No. 5 Mizzou Wrestling lost to No. 4 Ohio State, 30-9, on Thursday evening at St. John Arena. The Tigers picked up three decision wins from redshirt junior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.), redshirt sophomore 165-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) and senior 197-pounder J'den Cox (Columbia, Mo.) in the dual.

With three starters out in the first five weight classes and four out total for Mizzou, Ohio State jumped out to a 15-0 lead after wins in the first four bouts of the night. At 157 pounds, Lavallee stepped onto the mat against No. 19-ranked Jake Ryan. Lavallee recorded numerous takedowns in the match, scoring two in the first period and another in the second. He scored three more in the third, as the Tiger junior purposely let Ryan escape twice while trying to secure more takedowns for bonus points. He fell one takedown short of the major decision, but won the match, 12-5.

Next up for Mizzou was Lewis, who matched up against Cody Burcher. Lewis scored quickly, securing a takedown 15 seconds into the match. Burcher failed to escape in the period following the takedown, allowing Lewis to amass more than two minutes of riding time. Lewis scored a reversal in the second, an escape in the third and received a riding time point following the conclusion of the match to cap the final score at 6-1.

After two wins for the Buckeyes, Cox was up next for the Tigers against No. 6 Kollin Moore at 197 pounds. The Tiger senior notched a takedown near the end of the opening period to grab a 2-0 lead after the first period. Cox started the second period in the top position, and did not allow Moore to escape, increasing his riding time advantage to 2:42 at the end of the period. Despite getting taken down twice in the third period, Cox was able to defend off a late shot attempt from Moore to preserve the win, 6-4. With the victory, Cox records his third win over a top-10 ranked opponent this season after defeating No. 9 Kevin Beazley (Old Dominion), 5-0 on Nov. 13 and No. 3 Jared Haught (Virginia Tech), 2-0, on Nov. 20.

Mizzou will next be in action on Sunday, Dec. 11, when the Tigers face Mid-American Conference opponent Ohio. The dual from Athens, Ohio, is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. CT.

For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling).

Match-by-Match Results
125: No. 10 Jose Rodriguez (OSU) dec. Aaron Assad (MIZ): 3-1
133: No. 2 Nathan Tomasello (OSU) MD No. 8 Jaydin Eierman: 12-2
141: Luke Pletcher (OSU) dec. Zach Synon (MIZ): 6-4
149: No. 5 Micah Jordan (OSU) tf Alex Butler (MIZ): 23-7, 5:44
157: No. 3 Joey Lavallee (MIZ) dec. No. 19 Jake Ryan (OSU): 12-5
165: No. 4 Daniel Lewis (MIZ) dec. Cody Burcher (OSU): 6-1
174: No. 1 Bo Jordan (OSU) md Dylan Wisman (MIZ): 14-6
184: No. 4 Myles Martin (OSU) tf Matt Lemanowicz (MIZ): 21-5, 3:31
197: No. 1 J'den Cox (MIZ) dec. No. 6 Kollin Moore (OSU): 6-4
HWT: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (OSU) fall Austin Myers (MIZ): 4:32