NIU’s bonus barrage sinks Buffalo, 29-12
A string of early bonus-point wins — including majors and a technical fall from two ranked Huskies — produced a 17-point swing that decided the MAC dual in Buffalo.
Northern Illinois left Alumni Arena with a 29-12 road win over Buffalo, a margin built almost entirely on bonus-point victories.
The Huskies opened the dual with a sequence of high-value finishes that swung the team scoreboard. No. 29 Blake West started the charge with a 12-1 major decision at 125 pounds, and No. 32 Markel Baker followed with a 17-2 technical fall at 133.
NIU kept the pressure on through the middle weights. Charles Curtis rolled to a 14-4 major decision at 141, and Ian Smith delivered an 11-0 major at 184. Those four bonus-point wins — two majors, another major and a tech fall — produced 17 team points, the exact difference in the final score.
Buffalo competed in stretches of the dual. Kaleb Burgess delivered a 9-5 decision at 157 to earn four team points for the Bulls, and Sam Ewing and Connor Jacobs picked up decisions at 149 and 197 respectively. Still, Buffalo could not overcome NIU’s run of extra-team results.
The heavyweight bout closed the card with Devon Dawson taking a 5-1 decision for Northern Illinois, capping a night that featured multiple ranked Huskies and extended win streaks for several NIU performers.
NIU’s victory also carried conference significance: the Huskies improved their MAC standing with the road triumph while Buffalo fell on home ice. The outcome was a clear illustration of how bonus points — majors and a technical fall — can determine a dual meet’s trajectory.