GWU Men Advance To A-Sun Semis With Dominant 82-63 Win Over Stetson
March 06, 2008 | Men's Basketball
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A-Sun Freshman of the Year Nate Blank
poured in 21 points and Gardner-Webb scored 54 second-half points
to rout No. 3 Stetson, 82-63, in the 2008 General Shale Brick
Atlantic Sun Conference quarterfinals.
Gardner-Webb (16-15) will play No. 2 Jacksonville on Friday at 7:00
pm ET in the first conference semifinal matchup of the day. No. 1
Belmont will play the winner of No. 4 ETSU/No. 5 Lipscomb at 9:15
pm ET on Friday in the other semifinal.
Trailing 35-30 just moments into the second half, Gardner-Webb
surged, rolling on a 27-7 run that spanned less than seven minutes
– taking a 57-42 lead on a pair of Thomas Sanders' free throws
with 10:25 remaining in the game.
GWU would not take its foot off the pedal, gradually pushing its
lead to 21 points on a three-pointer by Blank with just over eight
minutes left – and saw that lead reach as many as 25 with 5:05
to play.
The ‘Dogs shot a sizzling 64.3 percent in the second half
(18-of-28) and were a perfect 14-of-14 at the charity stripe in the
final 20 minutes – helping overcome a frigid afternoon from
beyond the three-point arc (5-of-18, 27.8 percent). GWU shot a
solid 50.0 percent for the game (29-of-58) and committed just nine
turnovers (16 assists).
Gardner-Webb trailed by as many 11 points midway through the first
half – and trailed 28-19 with just over two minutes remaining
before halftime. The ‘Dogs closed on a 9-1 run, with Aaron
Linn scoring five of those points – including a runner with
5.2 seconds left that cut the deficit to just 29-28 at
intermission.
GWU was ice cold from the floor in the first 20 minutes, hitting
just 1-of-10 attempts from long distance and only 11-of-30 shots
overall (36.7 percent). Stetson (17-15) controlled the glass in
that period (21-15), but allowed Gardner-Webb to stay in the game
by coughing up 11 turnovers that led to 11 Bulldog points.
Blank hit 6-of-8 shots in the second half and finished an efficient
8-of-14 from the floor to pace a parade of four GWU players in
double digits. Linn added 15 points, and Sanders joined Flittner
with 13 points for the ‘Dogs.
Sanders – the league's Player of the Year did see his stretch
of seven double-doubles in a row snapped, as he finished with a
season-low three boards. The Sugarland, Texas, native didn't have
many chances with his team shooting so well in the second half
– but did shoot a strong 4-of-8 from the floor and 5-of-6 from
the line.
The game's unsung hero was two-sport standout Brandon Jackson, who
sparked the team's fast break off the bench. The Orlando, Fla.,
sophomore – who doubles as the Bulldogs' tailback in football
– finished with seven points (3-for-3 shooting), a career-high
seven rebounds, three steals and a career-high seven assists (only
one turnover) – helping GWU force a faster pace against the
slow-footed Hatters.
Stetson (16-16) shot just 37.9 percent for the game, with point
guard A.J. Smith the only player in double digits with 15 points.
All-Conference guard Garfield Blair was handcuffed in the game by
GWU defensive ace Aaron Linn – who held Blair to just eight
points on 2-of-5 shooting.
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