After starting Sunday's dual with No. 11 Illinois much like it did Friday against Ohio State, No. 12 Penn State failed to hold the momentum throughout the match, dropping the dual, 18-16.

With No. 3 Phil Davis again kicking off the dual at 197 pounds, the junior co-captain managed to secure his second pinfall in as many matches, putting the Nittany Lions up 6-0 early.

Senior Aaron Anspach also mirrored his result from Friday's dual, scoring a major decision over the Fighting Illini's John Wise. The No. 12 ranked co-captain's win put the Lions into a solid 10-0 lead after just two matches.

However, the Illini would storm back, taking the next three bouts at 125, 133 and 141 pounds to push the dual score to 10-9 in favor of the Lions.

Penn State would get two more wins in the next four matches with redshirt freshman Dan Vallimont winning at 149 pounds and No. 7 James Yonushonis scoring a decision at 174 pounds, but would ultimately fail to maintain its initial momentum.

Going into the final match at 184 pounds, the Lions held a slight edge in the overall score, 16-15. But freshman Mike Ward couldn't gain the victory over Illinois' John Dergo as the Illini would go on to take the dual.