SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The No. 1 Newberry College Wolves claimed the final four bouts to come back from a six-point deficit and claim an 18-15 win over No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney in the semifinals of the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals at the Prairie Capital Convention Center on Sunday afternoon.

With the win, Newberry moves to 9-0 in duals this season and advances to the championship match at 3 p.m. Central (4 p.m. Eastern) against No. 3 St. Cloud State, which upset No. 2 Upper Iowa in the semifinals by a 22-13 score.

Newberry is 0-1 all-time in duals against St. Cloud State, losing in last year's third place match. The Wolves found themselves in yet another tightly contested battle, with only one bonus point win in the entire dual.

No. 1 Connor McDonald (Rehoboth, Del.) got the match off to a good start at 125 lbs. for the Wolves with a 2-0 decision over Jordan White. McDonald did not concede control in the second period and had an escape in the third to earn the decision and put Newberry up 3-0.

In the 133 lbs. bout, No. 6 Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) was taken down early in the first period and his opponent, Stephen Weimer recorded nearfall points. That would be the deciding points in the bout, as Weimer took a 5-4 decision to tie the dual at 3-all.

At 141 lbs., one of the premier matchups of the entire tournament lived up to its billing as the No. 1 and No. 2 wrestlers in the nation matched up. Dalton Jensen of UNK was the top-ranked wreslter coming into the bout, and left that way with a tight 7-6 decision over No. 2 BJ Young (Jackson, N.J.) with a point for accumulated riding time. Young earned a reversal with one second remaining, but it was too late, and Jensen's win by decision gave the Lopers a 6-3 lead.

No. 5 Deral Brown (Elgin, S.C.) tied the dual back up for the Wolves with a clutch 3-2 win by decision over Raufeon Stots at 149 lbs. Brown trailed 0-1 entering the third period, but earned an escape and a takedown to win the bout and tie the dual at 6-all.

The turning point of the match came at 157 lbs., where UNK's No. TJ Hepburn needed only 26 seconds to pin Taylor Knapp (Lawrenceville, Ga.) and give the Lopers a 12-6 lead at the halfway mark of the match.

At 165 lbs., an intense matchup of nationally ranked wrestlers came down to a pair of stalling calls which gave No. 2 Joey Wilson of UNK a 2-1 decision over No. 5 Sean Byrnes (Jackson, N.J.) and put the Lopers up by a 15-6 margin.

With their backs against the wall, the Wolves' higher weight wrestlers stood up to the challenge and won the final four bouts to eke out the win.

At 174 lbs., No. 6 Travis Sheehy (Suwanee, Ga.) scored a reversal just six seconds into the third period to take a 7-5 upset decision over No.4 Mark Fiala. No. 6 Mitch Brown (Omaha, Neb.) followed that up at 184 lbs. with a 2-1 decision on accumulated riding time over Brock Smith. Karl Reed (Mount Laurel, N.J.) made his first appearance in the National Duals this year count, tying the match at 15-all entering the final bout with a third period reversal giving him a 4-3 decision over Matt Lenagh.

In the final bout, No. 4 Jake Elkins (Trussville, Ala.) was trailing Nick Bauman 0-1 entering the third period. The senior scored a reversal just 16 seconds into the period and rode out Bauman to score a 3-1 decision and give the Wolves a huge 18-15 win.

With the win, Newberry is now 11-4 all-time at the National Duals and advances to the finals for the third time in its four appearances. The Wolves are previously 0-2 in the National Duals, with losses to the discontinued Nebraska-Omaha program in 2009 and 2010.