LAS VEGAS – Tyler Makosy toughed out four victories to register a perfect day on the mat and the 14^th-ranked UNC Pembroke wrestling team split four matches at the Desert Duals inside the Flamingo Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
 
The Braves (6-5) had their three-match win streak snapped with a tight 22-18 loss to Northern State in the morning session, but got back on track with a convincing 26-12 win over Minot State. Sixth-ranked Upper Iowa built an early lead on the way to a 26-12 triumph over the Black & Gold on Sunday afternoon, but UNCP closed out its stay in the desert with a 32-9 rout of Vanguard.
 
Nick Daggett delivered a first-period pin in the opening match of the day to give the Braves an early lead over Northern State, but the Wolves answered with three-straight wins to build an 11-6 lead of their own. Garrett Hill toughed out a 7-6 decision at 174 pounds to give UNCP a 15-14 edge, but Northern State posted wins via major decision at both 184 and 197 pounds to clinch the team outcome.
 
Minot State led 9-0 following a pin by Oscar Nellis in the 133-pound matchup, but the Black & Gold won the next seven individual matchups, including three bonus-point triumphs, to eventually build a 27-9 advantage after an 8-4 decision by Marcus Bell in the 197-pound bout. The Braves took the lead for good on Makosy's 10-9 win at 157 pounds, and the run was fueled by Kaleb Warner's pin at 165 pounds, as well as a technical fall victory from Brandon Sloop in the 184-pound matchup.
 
Upper Iowa won each of its first two individual matchups with the Braves, but Jonathan Miller broke the silence for UNCP with a 9-5 decision at 133 pounds. UNCP pulled to within six points, 18-12, on Sloop's 13-3 major decision at 184 pounds, but the Peacocks clinched the team victory on top-ranked Nick Baumler's technical fall in the 197-pound matchup.
 
Vanguard used a forfeit victory at 125 pounds to take a short-lived lead as UNCP captured the next five matchups and never looked back. The Black & Gold led 19-6 after Warner's major decision at 165 pounds, but the Lions stopped the bleeding thanks to 16^th-ranked Armon Fayyazi's 6-5 decision in the 174-pound bout. UNCP closed out the nightcap with three more victories, including Ryan Monk's 3-0 shutout win over 18^th-ranked Joshua Sapien in the heavyweight matchup.
 
The Braves will take a two-week break from competition before resuming their 2019-20 regular season schedule on January 8 at Fort Hays State (0-0). That matchup will mark the first leg of a five-day road trip that has the Braves scheduled to make stops in Kansas, Wisconsin and Colorado.