In its first dual meet of the season Sunday, the No. 23-ranked NIU wrestling team couldn’t win the close matches and lost 27-12 to No. 13 Wisconsin at the Convocation Center.

With three wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in their weight classes, the Badgers (3-0) took the lead and never let up as the Huskies (0-1) managed only three victories in the 10 matches.

NIU sophomores Andy Hiatt and Johnny Galloway picked up victories at 141 and 165 pounds, respectively, with sophomore heavyweight Joe Sapp winning by forfeit.

“There were a lot of close matches that could have gone either way,” Hiatt said. “If we would have won those close matches, the score might have been different, but they won all of them.”

Galloway started quickly with two takedowns and a near pin to take a 7-1 lead in the first period. Galloway lost steam afterward but held on for a 9-6 decision.

“I started off with a fast pace but towards the end I was getting tired,” Galloway said. “So I’ve got to work on my endurance some more. We just need to iron out those things in practice.”

Senior George Kirgan held a 9-8 lead in the third period at 184 pounds but a twisted knee on a Wisconsin takedown forced Kirgan to stop playing.

“There were one or two matches they dominated on us,” NIU coach Dave Grant said. “But I was happy with the way we wrestled. It’s a great opportunity to wrestle a lot of Big Ten schools early and get our guys in the fire right away.”