Ben Hammond scored 20 points and amassed a career-high seven steals as Virginia Tech defeated Coppin State 88-54 in the opener for both teams on Tuesday in Blacksburg, Va.
Jaylen Curry added 19 points in his Virginia Tech debut, and Amani Hansberry contributed 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
Brendan Johnson led the Eagles with 17 points in his Coppin State debut. He converted 8 of 13 shots from the floor and added six rebounds. Camaren Sparrow scored all seven of his points in the second half.
Hammond matched his career high with four 3-pointers and added eight assists.
Curry, an Oklahoma State transfer, knocked down 6 of 9 shots, including 3 of 6 from behind the arc.
Tyler Johnson also scored in double figures for Virginia Tech, registering 13 points off the bench.
Hammond opened the second-half scoring with a 3-pointer and Miles Heide added a pair of layups to push the Hokies’ lead to 51-27. Sparrow went on a personal 7-0 run to trim the deficit to 18 points, but the hosts responded with a 14-2 surge to extend the margin to 68-38 with 10:38 remaining.
Virginia Tech, which averaged 8.6 made 3-pointers per game last season, knocked down 13 of 28 perimeter shots (46.4%).
Johnson and Malik Shackleford made Coppin State’s two treys, as the Eagles misfired on 10 of 12.
The Hokies finished 50% (29-for-58) from the floor, while Coppin State only converted 19 of 52 field-goal attempts (36.5%).
Virginia Tech turned 24 Coppin State turnovers into 26 points.
Johnson hit his first four field goal attempts and scored Coppin State’s first nine points as the Eagles stayed within striking distance, trailing only 22-14 at the 11:06 mark of the first half.
But Curry knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, sparking a 14-4 run over the next 4 1/2 minutes and giving the Hokies a 33-16 lead.
Curry led all scorers with 15 points at halftime as Virginia Tech led 45-27. The Hokies forced 14 first-half turnovers and scored 14 points off those miscues.
