Amani Hansberry scored a career-high 23 points on Thursday, propelling Virginia Tech to a 96-67 wire-to-wire victory over Mercer in Blacksburg, Va.
Ben Hammond contributed 16 points and five steals while Jaylen Curry added 14 points for the Hokies (2-0).
KJ LaMonte scored 21 points and Karon Boyd added 12 to pace Mercer (1-1), which committed 18 turnovers compared to four for Virginia Tech. The Hokies outscored the Bears 28-6 off those mistakes.
Virginia Tech wound up with a 39-34 rebounding edge. Tyler Johnson (eight points, nine rebounds) was the game’s leader on the boards.
The Hokies started fast, making four of their first five shots, including a pair of jumpers by Curry and a 3-pointer from Hammond, as they rolled to an 11-4 lead.
LaMonte kept it close by scoring 10 of Mercer’s first 12 points, but Virginia Tech subsequently took control by holding the Bears without a field goal for a span of 6:38.
During part of the stretch, the Hokies went on a 21-1 spree, which included a putback and a three-point play by Hansberry. Miles Heide added a slam and Curry sank two jumpers, including one from beyond the arc.
When Butta Johnson closed the run with a 3-pointer, it gave Virginia Tech a 39-14 lead with 6:04 left in the half.
Hammond closed the period with a driving layup that put the Hokies up 47-24 at the break.
Mercer opened the second half with a 7-0 run, which included a 3-pointer from Quinton Perkins II, as the Bears reduced the deficit to 16.
Later in the half, Boyd scored 10 points in a 2:36 stretch as Mercer cut the gap to 62-47 with 12:17 left. However, that was as close as the Bears would get.
In the final eight minutes, Butta Johnson (nine points) made a pair of triples and Hansberry and Isaiah Elohim added one each as the Hokies stretched their lead to as many as 31 points.
After failing to score in the first half, Elohim finished with 11 points.
