Amani Hansberry scored 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting, and the Virginia Tech Hokies beat the Mercer Bears 96-67 on Thursday night at Cassell Coliseum.
Virginia Tech never trailed. The game had no lead changes and no ties. The Hokies broke it open in the first half with 13 straight points, turning an 18-13 lead into a 31-13 advantage. They led 47-24 at halftime and won the second half 49-43. Their largest lead was 31 points.
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Ben Hammond added 16 points, four assists and five steals for Virginia Tech, and he made all four of his free throws. Jaylen Curry scored 14 points with five rebounds and four assists, though he shot 4-of-15 from the field. Hansberry also had five rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes.
KJ Lamonte led Mercer with 21 points and five assists. He shot 6-of-10 from the field, 2-of-2 from 3-point range and 7-of-9 at the line. Karon Boyd scored 12 points with six rebounds off the bench, and Derek Goodman added 9 points.
Ball security separated the teams. Mercer committed 18 turnovers to Virginia Tech's 4. The Hokies shot 34-of-70 (49%), outscored the Bears 46-30 in the paint and 15-2 on fast breaks, and won the rebounding battle 39-34.
Virginia Tech improved to 2-0. Mercer fell to 1-1.
