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.