Harvard received a crucial pin from junior co-captain James Fox, shown here in previous action, wrestling against Boston University.

In the latest installment of the crosstown rivalry between the Harvard and Boston University wrestling teams, the second half of the Crimson lineup strung together four consecutive wins to lead the team to a 23-15 dual meet victory, its second in four games, at the Malkin Athletic Center on Saturday.

The comeback may have been a team effort, but no match was more crucial than junior co-captain James Fox’s first period pin of BU’s Kristian Meyer in the penultimate battle of the day.

With Harvard trailing, 15-14, to the Terriers, Fox knew the importance of his match.

With the heavyweight bout on deck, the two-time NCAA qualifier believed he had to not only win, but also dominate.

After losing four of the first six matches of the day, Harvard found itself behind, 15-6, with only four bouts remaining in the match. The lightweights struggled against a tough BU core led by No. 8 Nestor Taffur, giving up three major decisions.

None of the Crimson lightweights were pinned, however, and they kept the match within reach. And in dominant fashion—punctuated by the performance of Fox—Harvard’s heavyweights stormed back and took control of the match for good.

Freshman 174-pounder Eric Morris and co-captain 187-pounder Cameron Croy both picked up major decisions, 11-0 and 16-5, respectively, to bring the Crimson back into the match with two bouts to go.

Down just one point in the team score, it was now Fox’s turn.

“We knew [coming in] our upper weights would have to get major points because the lower weights were going to have a tough time against BU,” Fox said. “I told myself I needed a major here.”

Fox did just that. After taking down Meyer twice seemingly at will in the first period, he was able to sink in a deep hammerlock.

After nearly going out of bounds in the process of turning the Terrier, the 197-pounder kept one foot inbounds and dragged his opponent back into the ring.

Fox finished Meyer off by earning a quick pin with five seconds left in the period, igniting huge applause from both his team and the near-capacity MAC.

“I [thought] I had to get this guy in and settle down,” Fox said. “Last week I got in a similar position and couldn’t finish. After the match, I talked to my mom and she [said], ‘You need to settle.’”

The advice worked, and the pin gave Harvard a commanding 20-15 lead going into the last match. Sophomore heavyweight Nick Gajdzik was thankful for the cushion.

“Gajdzik came up to me after and [told me], ‘thanks for putting that out of reach,’” Fox said.