Published: November 30, 2008 10:27 pm         

Metro Roundup: Ex-North standout Blank excels at Gardner-Webb

Boiling Springs, N.C. — Nate Blank scored 20 points Saturday to pace a balanced scoring attack as Gardner-Webb defeated Virginia-Wise 74-47 in men’s college basketball.

Blank knocked down 4 of 6 shots from long distance for Gardner-Webb and seemed to be slowly working himself back into shape after missing the first three games of the season with an injury. The Terre Haute North graduate, last year’s Atlantic Sun Conference Freshman Player of the Year, added a career-high seven assists, had three steals and made 8 of 11 shots overall in just 26 minutes.

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In other college basketball news:

• Craft doubles up three times — At Vincennes, Terre Haute South graduate Megan Craft had 15 points Sunday, including four late free throws, as Vincennes University defeated Mineral Area 74-62 in the Trailblazers’ final game of the 2008 Sodexo Classic.

Vincennes blew a second-half lead on Friday and lost 103-92 to top-ranked Jefferson College, Craft scoring 12 points, and she had 11 points on Friday in VU’s 79-60 win over Olney Central.

The Trailblazers, 6-5, host John A. Logan at 5 p.m. Tuesday.



• Smith blanked — At Charleston, Ill., Terre Haute South graduate Jay Smith was held scoreless Saturday night as host Eastern Illinois lost 76-74 to IPFW.

Smith had two rebounds but missed all four of his field goal attempts, three from 3-point range, for the Panthers, 1-4.