Morgan State University Athletics

Boxscore

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Morgan State entered tonight's first round of the NIT attempting to bounce back from a disappointing two-point loss at the hands of cross-town rival Coppin State in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Finals.

Virginia Tech entered still upset about being left out of the NCAA Tournament and they seemed to unleash their frustration on the Bears.

The top-seeded Hokies were led by A.D. Vassallo who scored 19 of his game-high 27 points in the first half of a 94-62 victory of No. 8 seed Morgan State, giving the Virginia Tech their largest victory margin in the series since 2002.

Marquise Kately kept the Bears close early on during a very fast tempo in the opening minutes. But it seemed that every time Morgan State would knock down a big basket to take the lead, Vassallo would answer with a big shot of his own. 

The Bears (22-11) held a 16-14 lead when Jermaine Bolden scored on a layup with 11:57 remaining, but Vassallo help charge a 26-9 run.

The Hokies had seven fast breaks and hit six 3-pointers to open a 40-25 halftime lead.

Virginia Tech had the kind of balanced performance they will need to go far in this year's NIT.

Morgan State shot 43 percent from the field, while the Hokies shot a blistering 65 percent and hit 8-of-14 (57%) 3-pointers.

After the Hokies jumped out to its largest lead of the game at 83-50 (5:27), it turned into a game where the Bears were just playing for pride.

Kately led the Bears with 11 first alf points and finished with a team-high 21 points. Boubacar Coly, the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, posted 11 points and six rebounds, while Bolden chipped in 10 points (4-8 FG).

Jamar Smith, the MEAC Player of the Year, saw action as a reserve off the bench. Smith, who missed the last two games due to a foot injury, played 18 minutes and scored 6 points (3-9 FG)

Deron Washington had 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Hokies, Malcom Delaney scored 13 and Jeff Allen added 10.