North Central led from start to finish, jumping out to a 10-0 lead and holding Benedictine scoreless the first five minutes and 30 seconds of the game until a short jumper from Jimmy Franklin. Dan Walton increased the lead to 16-2 with 13:06 on the clock after a short turnaround jumper in the lane. Anthony Simmons and Jeff Larson closed out the first half with a flurry, as Simmons scored inside and Larson buried a three-pointer for a 47-22 halftime advantage.
The Cardinals led by as many as 33 points in the second half. Walton and Simmons tied for team-high scoring honors with 19 points apiece. Simmons also grabbed 10 boards. Adam Krumtinger just missed a double-double with 10 points and eight boards. Freshman Chris Drennan also scored in double figures with 12. Adam Teising dished out seven assists.
Benedictine was led by Tim Swanson's 18 points. He was the only Eagle in double figures. Aaron Goodman added eight points and seven rebounds.
The Cardinals gained the Bill Warden/Tony LaScala Memorial Trophy with the victory. The trophy honors the two former coaches of both schools. Warden served as head coach for 16 years at North Central, winning more than 200 games and leading the Cardinals to four National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III playoff appearances and three College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) championships.
LaScala spent 29 years at the helm of Benedictine basketball, gaining just under 400 wins (392) while guiding the Eagles to two NCAA postseason appearances (including a trip to the Elite Eight in 1991) and seven Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference (NIIC) titles.