Trailing 58-55 with eight seconds remaining in the game, North Central had a chance to tie. However, Ray Vicario (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) was called for a questionable offensive foul, turning the ball over. Augustana inbounded the ball and Jay McAdams-Thornton was fouled. The forward hit 1 of 2 free throws with three seconds remaining for the final margin.
North Central trailed 33-24 at the break. The Cardinals shot 11 of 19 from but committed 14 turnovers in the first half.
In the second half, North Central rallied behind junior Mike Wilson (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central). The guard/forward scored 18 of his team-high 26 points in the second stanza. His two free throws tied the game at 45-45 with under 10 minutes remaining. He then found a wide-open Vicario for a three-pointer that gave North Central its only lead of the second half at 48-47 with 6:59 on the clock. However, Augustana's Rick Harrigan hit a three-pointer and Shaun Rose had a putback that put the Vikings back in control at 54-48.
Wilson was 10 of 12 from the field including 3 of 3 from three-point range and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line. Walton was the next closest player to double figures with nine points.
Augustana was led by McAdams-Thornton's 18 points and seven rebounds. Drew Wessels added 14 points.