FAIRFAX, Va. – In a match that went down to the final bout of the afternoon, the George Mason wrestling team fell just short, dropping an 18-17 decision to Bloomsburg in the Eastern Wrestling League opener for both teams on Saturday at the Recreation Athletic Complex.

Mason (1-4, 0-1 EWL) had a strong start, recording wins in three of the first four bouts of the afternoon.

Redshirt senior Ibrahim Bunduka began the match with a 19-7 major decision over Bloomsburg freshman Drew Massetti at 125 pounds. 

Bunduka scored an escape point and two takedowns to build a 5-3 lead going into the second period.  He then scored seven points in the both the second and third period, including four near fall points, to earn the victory and put the Patriots in front with a 4-0 match score lead.

After Bloomsburg (2-2, 1-0 EWL) recorded a 20-5 technical fall at 133 pounds, the Patriots notched victories in the next two bouts.

Mason redshirt junior Tejon Anthony won a 10-4 decision over Huskies freshman Braden Stahlnecker at 141 pounds.  Anthony led 4-1 after the first and then recorded a pair of takedowns in the second to increase the advantage to 8-4.  He notched two more points in the third in the win to put Mason back in front 7-5.

Sophomore Matthew Raines followed with a 13-3 major decision over Bloomsburg sophomore Evan Campbell at 149 pounds.  Raines led 4-0 after one period and 8-2 after the second.  He put the match away when he scored five more points in the third to give the Patriots an 11-5 match score advantage.

"I wanted to see them score a few more bonus points," Mason head coach Frank Beasley said.  "We left some points on the board there with technical falls and majors."

Bloomsburg then won four straight bouts.  The Huskies picked up a 9-5 decision at 157 pounds, an 8-4 decision at 165 pounds, a 13-3 major decision at 174 pounds, and a 10-3 decision at 184 pounds to take an 18-11 match score lead over the Patriots.

The Patriots battled back to earn wins in the last two matches of the day.

At 197 pounds, redshirt freshman Eli Spencer turned in a memorable performance and recorded his first NCAA victory.

After falling behind in the match 4-0 in the first period, Spencer erased the deficit and earned an 8-6 decision over Bloomsburg freshman Logan Womelsdorf to cut the Huskies match score lead to 18-14.  With the score tied 4-4, Spencer registered a pair of takedowns in the third period on the way to his first collegiate win.

"That was a big stepping-stone for Eli," Beasley said.  "He had been searching for that all last year and early this year.  I was happy to see him get that win and he showed a lot of heart.  He stayed focused and kept looking for scoring opportunities, so I was really proud of Eli."

In the final bout of the afternoon, Mason redshirt junior Matthew Voss led 2-1 after the first and 4-1 after the second period.  He picked up a 4-2 decision over Bloomsburg sophomore Bruce Graeber, but the Huskies held on for the 18-17 victory in the match.

"Voss did his job," said Beasley.  "Matt went out a wrestled hard and got a hard-fought win over one of their best guys.  I thought he gave everything he had and wrestled a very solid and smart match.  He did everything he was supposed to do today."

Each team won five bouts in the match.

The Patriots are back on the mat when they travel to take on Sacred Heart at 5 p.m. on Sunday at the William H. Pitt Center in Fairfield, Conn.

Bloomsburg 18, Mason 17

125 | Ibrahim Bunduka (Mason) major decision over Drew Massetti (Bloomsburg), 19-7 | 4-0 Mason
133 | Andy Schutz (Bloomsburg) technical fall over Victor Echeverria (Mason), 20-5 | 5-4 Bloomsburg
141 | Tejon Anthony (Mason) decision over Braden Stahlnecker (Bloomsburg), 10-4 | 7-5 Mason
149 | Matthew Raines (Mason) major decision over Evan Campbell (Bloomsburg), 13-3 | 11-5 Mason
157 | Kevin Laubach, Jr. (Bloomsburg) decision over Creed Lumpp (Mason), 9-5 | 11-8 Mason       
165 | Nate Newberry (Bloomsburg) decision over Brendan May (Mason), 8-4 | 11-11        
174 | Kyle Murphy (Bloomsburg) major decision over Levko Higgins (Mason), 13-3 | 15-11 Bloomsburg
184 | Trevor Allard (Bloomsburg) decision over Austin Harrison (Mason), 10-3 | 18-11 Bloomsburg
197 | Eli Spencer (Mason) decision over Logan Womelsdorf (Bloomsburg), 8-6 | 18-14 Bloomsburg
285 | Matthew Voss (Mason) decision over Bruce Graeber (Bloomsburg), 4-2 | 18-17 Bloomsburg