The Vikings got off to a quick early start and led by as many as 10 points when Dain Swetalla converted on a conventional three point play less than five minutes into the game (15:52) to make it 16-6. Puget Sound, which played relentless full court pressure the entire game and forced 21 Augustana turnovers, eventually took the lead for good on a layup by Zack McVey with 8:10 left in the first half to make it 24-23. The score was tied at 24-24 when Rick Harrigan (Brother Rice HS, Chicago, Ill.) made one free throw at 7:59. When Robert Krauel nailed a pair of free throws at 6:32 to make it 26-24, it was a lead the Loggers would never relinquish.
At halftime the margin was 46-40 and Augustana had already committed 15 of its 21 turnovers and was shooting just .360 (9-25) from the floor. The Vikings got the lead to five with 11:06 to play when Oliver Rorer hit a free throw to make it 63-58. However, a 10-2 run by the Loggers bumped the advantage up to 73-60 with 9:00 left in the contest. Four times in the final minute Augustana got the margin down to six points but couldn’t get any closer. Puget Sound made nine of 12 free throws in the final :47 to keep the Vikings at bay.
Harrigan led Augustana in scoring with 21 points but he shot just six of 19 from the floor and was one of seven from three point range. Dain Swetalla had 15 points and a game high 13 rebounds while his brother Nate Swetalla scored 14 and Jay McAdams-Thornton dropped in 10 and grabbed 10 rebounds. The Vikings enjoyed a huge 54-34 advantage in rebounding.
Ryan Delong, who played just 17 minutes, led Puget Sound, now 23-4, in scoring with 18 points. Zack McVey had 15, Antwan Williams scored 12 and Chase Curtiss added 10.
There were a total of 58 fouls called in the game and the two teams combined to go 57-79 from the free throw line. Augustana was 29-40 and Puget Sound 28-39.