Blacksburg, VA -- (Sports Network) - A.D. Vassallo poured in a game-high 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the floor, helping lift the top-seeded Virginia Tech Hokies to a 94-62 thrashing of the eighth-seeded Morgan State Bears in opening-round action of the NIT at Cassell Coliseum.

Delaney Malcolm chipped in with 13 points for the Hokies (20-13), who will square off with U-A-B in the next round. Deron Washington tallied 11 points and nine rebounds, while Jeff Allen contributed 10 points, three steals and three blocks.

The Bears (22-11), who were making their first-ever postseason appearance at the Division 1-A level, received a 21-point effort from Marquise Kately. Boubacar Coly chipped in with 11 points and six boards, while Jermaine Bolden scored 10 off the bench.

Virginia Tech rode a 6-of-11 three-point effort to a 40-25 halftime lead. The Hokies went on a key 8-0 run from 8:26 to 6:25, stretching a three-point lead into an 11-point cushion.

The Hokies simply could not be stopped in the second half, connecting on a ridiculous 19-of-23 field goals (82.6 percent) to cap the victory.

Virginia Tech shot 8-of-14 from three-point range, while also going 18-of-22 from the foul line for the game.