VATECH
IOWA
Virginia Tech, Iowa put 2-0 records on the line in Sioux City
Virginia Tech Hokies big man Amani Hansberry developed a quick connection with guard Ben Hammond last season.
Hansberry said he senses an even bigger bond brewing amid the team's addition of Oklahoma State transfer Jaylen Curry to the backcourt.
All three players scored at least 14 points to steer the Hokies past Mercer 96-67 on Thursday, a final tuneup before Tuesday night's game against Iowa Hawkeyes in a neutral-site matchup in Sioux City, Iowa.
"It's very exciting," Hansberry said. "Especially when we get out in transition and I get the ball and I'm able to find those guys and set a screen for them with a full head of steam. They're both very explosive, very quick, and on the defensive end, they can guard as well."
Hansberry contributed a career-best 23 points against Mercer, connecting on 9 of 13 shots from the field, including a 3-pointer.
The Hokies had just four turnovers while forcing 18.
Iowa, which like Virginia Tech has started 2-0, committed 15 turnovers in Friday's 91-47 home victory over Eastern Illinois.
Hawkeyes coach Ben McCollum remains optimistic that Tuesday could mark the debut of 7-foot-3 center Andrew McKeever, a Saint Mary's transfer who has navigated back issues in the early season.
"One day he can feel good, and the next day, it's awful," said McCollum, who added that he thought McKeever would play against Eastern Illinois. "So we're hopeful, because he's really good. In practice, he was as dominant as we've had."
Reserve forward Trey Thompson can attest to the toughness of Hawkeyes workouts, crediting the experience from a redshirt season in 2025-26 for boosting him in the early season.
"It has really been crucial for me to get better," Thompson said after Friday's 11-point performance. "So I'm very thankful that I did."
Peyton McCollum (14 points), Ty'Reek Coleman (13) and Tate Sage (10) joined Thompson in double figures in the Hawkeyes' rout.
Iowa is seeking its first victory against Virginia Tech in five tries in their series. Tuesday marks the first neutral-site game between the schools, which haven't met since the host Hokies won by 24 points in a Big Ten/ACC Challenge game in November 2017.
--Field Level Media
Copyright 2026 STATS LLC and Field Level Media. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Field Level Media is strictly prohibited.
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0:05 |  | Cooper Koch offensive rebound | ||
| 0:07 | | Cooper Koch misses two point layup | ||
| 0:36 |  | +2 | Ben Hammond makes two point layup | 38-38 |
| 0:53 | | Tate Sage turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 0:53 | | Tate Sage offensive foul | ||
| 1:03 | | Hokies 30 second timeout | ||
| 1:03 | | +1 | Ben Hammond makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 36-38 |
| 1:03 | | +1 | Ben Hammond makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 35-38 |
| 1:03 | | Ty'Reek Coleman personal foul (Ben Hammond draws the foul) | ||
| 1:20 | | +1 | Ty'Reek Coleman makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 34-38 |
| 1:20 | | Ty'Reek Coleman misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 1:20 | | Ben Hammond personal foul (Ty'Reek Coleman draws the foul) | ||
| 1:27 | | Isaia Howard defensive rebound | ||
| 1:29 | | Isaiah Elohim misses two point jump shot | ||
| 1:36 | | Isaiah Elohim offensive rebound | ||
| 1:38 | | Amani Hansberry misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:46 | | +1 | Tate Sage makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 34-37 |
| 1:46 | | +1 | Tate Sage makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 34-36 |
| 1:46 | | Tyler Johnson personal foul (Tate Sage draws the foul) | ||
| 2:03 | | Isaia Howard defensive rebound | ||
| 2:05 | | Amani Hansberry misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:35 | | +3 | Isaia Howard makes three point jump shot (Andrew McKeever assists) | 34-35 |
| 3:03 | | Isaia Howard defensive rebound | ||
| 3:03 | | Amani Hansberry misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 3:03 | | TV timeout | ||
| 3:03 | | Isaia Howard shooting foul (Amani Hansberry draws the foul) | ||
| 3:03 | | +2 | Amani Hansberry makes two point jump shot | 34-32 |
| 3:24 | | +2 | Cooper Koch makes two point layup | 32-32 |
| 3:38 | | Isaia Howard defensive rebound | ||
| 3:40 | | Isaiah Elohim misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:53 | | +2 | Ty'Reek Coleman makes two point layup | 32-30 |
| 4:10 | | Cooper Koch defensive rebound | ||
| 4:10 | | Amani Hansberry misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 4:10 | | Cooper Koch personal foul (Amani Hansberry draws the foul) | ||
| 4:38 | | +2 | Ty'Reek Coleman makes two point layup | 32-28 |
| 4:53 | | Hawkeyes offensive rebound | ||
| 4:55 | | Trevin Jirak misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:25 | | +2 | Isaiah Elohim makes two point jump shot | 32-26 |
| 5:42 | | +2 | Tate Sage makes two point layup | 30-26 |
| 5:50 | | Tate Sage offensive rebound | ||
| 5:52 | | Cooper Koch misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:22 | | +3 | Amani Hansberry makes three point jump shot (Ben Hammond assists) | 30-24 |
| 6:28 | | Sin'Cere Jones offensive rebound | ||
| 6:30 | | Sin'Cere Jones misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:50 | | +1 | Cooper Koch makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 27-24 |
| 6:50 | | +1 | Cooper Koch makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 27-23 |
| 6:50 | | Sin'Cere Jones personal foul (Cooper Koch draws the foul) | ||
| 6:53 | | Cooper Koch defensive rebound | ||
| 6:53 | | Isaiah Elohim misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 6:53 | | +1 | Isaiah Elohim makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 27-22 |
| 6:53 | | Tate Sage personal foul (Isaiah Elohim draws the foul) | ||
| 7:05 | | Trevin Jirak turnover (bad pass) | ||
| 7:14 | | Hawkeyes offensive rebound | ||
| 7:14 | | Cooper Koch misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 7:14 | | +1 | Cooper Koch makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 26-22 |
| 7:14 | | Tyler Johnson personal foul (Cooper Koch draws the foul) | ||
| 7:24 | | Peyton McCollum defensive rebound | ||
| 7:26 | | Ben Hammond misses two point jump shot | ||
| 7:41 | | +1 | Cooper Koch makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-21 |
| 7:41 | | +1 | Cooper Koch makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 26-20 |
| 7:41 | | Isaiah Elohim shooting foul (Cooper Koch draws the foul) | ||
| 7:53 | | +1 | Butta Johnson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-19 |
| 7:53 | | +1 | Butta Johnson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 25-19 |
| 7:53 | | TV timeout | ||
| 7:53 | | Peyton McCollum shooting foul (Butta Johnson draws the foul) | ||
| 8:12 | | +2 | Kael Combs makes two point layup | 24-19 |
| 8:22 | | +1 | Isaiah Elohim makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 24-17 |
| 8:22 | | Jaidyn Coon shooting foul (Isaiah Elohim draws the foul) | ||
| 8:22 | | +2 | Isaiah Elohim makes two point jump shot | 23-17 |
| 8:45 | | Andrew McKeever turnover (illegal screen) | ||
| 8:45 | | Andrew McKeever offensive foul | ||
| 8:52 | | Isaia Howard defensive rebound | ||
| 8:54 | | Ben Hammond misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:09 | | Sin'Cere Jones defensive rebound | ||
| 9:09 | | Andrew McKeever misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 9:09 | | Andrew McKeever misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 9:09 | | Musa Sagnia shooting foul (Andrew McKeever draws the foul) | ||
| 9:20 | | +1 | Cooper Koch makes technical free throw 2 of 2 | 21-17 |
| 9:20 | | +1 | Cooper Koch makes technical free throw 1 of 2 | 21-16 |
| 9:20 | | Mike Young technical foul | ||
| 9:21 | | Butta Johnson turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 9:21 | | Butta Johnson offensive foul | ||
| 9:34 | | +2 | Kael Combs makes two point layup (Andrew McKeever assists) | 21-15 |
| 9:52 | | +2 | Amani Hansberry makes two point hook shot | 21-13 |
| 10:10 | | +2 | Andrew McKeever makes two point tip layup | 19-13 |
| 10:14 | | Andrew McKeever offensive rebound | ||
| 10:16 | | Isaia Howard misses two point layup | ||
| 10:33 | | Andrew McKeever defensive rebound | ||
| 10:35 | | Tyler Johnson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:40 | | Ben Hammond defensive rebound | ||
| 10:42 | | Cooper Koch misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:00 | | +3 | Ben Hammond makes three point jump shot (Amani Hansberry assists) | 19-11 |
| 11:28 | | Tyler Johnson defensive rebound | ||
| 11:28 | | Andrew McKeever misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 11:28 | | TV timeout | ||
| 11:28 | | Miles Heide personal foul (Andrew McKeever draws the foul) | ||
| 11:29 | | Andrew McKeever offensive rebound | ||
| 11:31 | | Peyton McCollum misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:59 | | +2 | Amani Hansberry makes two point layup (Tyler Johnson assists) | 16-11 |
| 12:06 | | Ty'Reek Coleman personal foul | ||
| 12:18 | | Ty'Reek Coleman turnover (bad pass) | ||
| 12:29 | | Musa Sagnia turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 12:29 | | Musa Sagnia offensive foul | ||
| 12:38 | | +1 | Ty'Reek Coleman makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 14-11 |
| 12:38 | | +1 | Ty'Reek Coleman makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 14-10 |
| 12:38 | | Butta Johnson shooting foul (Ty'Reek Coleman draws the foul) | ||
| 12:44 | | Sin'Cere Jones turnover (lost ball) | ||
| 12:46 | | Musa Sagnia offensive rebound | ||
| 12:48 | | Jaylen Curry misses two point jump shot | ||
| 13:08 | | Trevin Jirak personal foul | ||
| 13:08 | | Isaia Howard turnover (bad pass) (Tyler Johnson steals) | ||
| 13:27 | | Isaia Howard defensive rebound | ||
| 13:29 | | Ben Hammond misses three point jump shot | ||
| 13:35 | | Trevin Jirak turnover (lost ball) (Tyler Johnson steals) | ||
| 14:00 | | +3 | Amani Hansberry makes three point jump shot (Ben Hammond assists) | 14-9 |
| 14:13 | | Trevin Jirak turnover (bad pass) (Tyler Johnson steals) | ||
| 14:26 | | Amani Hansberry personal foul | ||
| 14:35 | | Isaia Howard defensive rebound | ||
| 14:37 | | Ben Hammond misses two point layup | ||
| 14:53 | | +2 | Tate Sage makes two point dunk | 11-9 |
| 14:59 | | Butta Johnson turnover (lost ball) (Tate Sage steals) | ||
| 15:12 | | Ty'Reek Coleman turnover (traveling) | ||
| 15:25 | | Musa Sagnia personal foul | ||
| 15:33 | | TV timeout | ||
| 15:33 | | Jaylen Curry turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 15:33 | | Jaylen Curry offensive foul (Trevin Jirak draws the foul) | ||
| 15:38 | | Ben Hammond defensive rebound | ||
| 15:40 | | Tate Sage misses three point jump shot | ||
| 15:56 | | +2 | Jaylen Curry makes two point jump shot | 11-7 |
| 16:06 | | +3 | Cooper Koch makes three point jump shot (Trevin Jirak assists) | 9-7 |
| 16:13 | | Trevin Jirak offensive rebound | ||
| 16:15 | | Isaia Howard misses two point layup | ||
| 16:33 | | Jaylen Curry turnover (lost ball) (Isaia Howard steals) | ||
| 16:39 | | Kael Combs personal foul | ||
| 16:40 | | Amani Hansberry offensive rebound | ||
| 16:42 | | Jaylen Curry misses three point jump shot | ||
| 16:56 | | Hawkeyes turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 17:31 | | +2 | Ben Hammond makes two point layup | 9-4 |
| 17:35 | | Ben Hammond defensive rebound | ||
| 17:35 | | Kael Combs misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 17:35 | | +1 | Kael Combs makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 7-4 |
| 17:35 | | Jaylen Curry shooting foul (Kael Combs draws the foul) | ||
| 17:47 | | +2 | Isaiah Elohim makes two point layup (Ben Hammond assists) | 7-3 |
| 17:53 | | Miles Heide defensive rebound | ||
| 17:53 | | Cam Manyawu misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 17:53 | | +1 | Cam Manyawu makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 5-3 |
| 17:53 | | Miles Heide shooting foul (Cam Manyawu draws the foul) | ||
| 18:12 | | Amani Hansberry turnover (lost ball) (Cam Manyawu steals) | ||
| 18:25 | | Miles Heide defensive rebound | ||
| 18:27 | | Tate Sage misses two point jump shot | ||
| 18:37 | | Isaia Howard defensive rebound | ||
| 18:39 | | Jaylen Curry misses two point jump shot | ||
| 18:44 | | Cooper Koch turnover (bad pass) (Ben Hammond steals) | ||
| 18:59 | | +1 | Ben Hammond makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 5-2 |
| 18:59 | | Kael Combs shooting foul (Ben Hammond draws the foul) | ||
| 18:59 | | +2 | Ben Hammond makes two point jump shot | 4-2 |
| 19:14 | | +2 | Cam Manyawu makes two point layup | 2-2 |
| 19:19 | | Cam Manyawu offensive rebound | ||
| 19:21 | | Tate Sage misses two point layup | ||
| 19:45 | | +2 | Isaiah Elohim makes two point layup (Ben Hammond assists) | 2-0 |
| 20:00 | | Miles Heide vs. Cam Manyawu (Hokies gains possession) |
Key Players
| Min. Per Game | ||
| Pts. Per Game | ||
| Ast. Per Game | ||
| Reb. Per Game | ||
| Field Goal % | ||
| Three Point % | ||
| Free Throw % |
|
Cooper Koch offensive rebound | 0:05 |
|
Cooper Koch misses two point layup | 0:07 |
| |
+ 2 | Ben Hammond makes two point layup | 0:36 |
|
Tate Sage turnover (offensive foul) | 0:53 |
|
Tate Sage offensive foul | 0:53 |
|
Hokies 30 second timeout | 1:03 |
| |
+ 1 | Ben Hammond makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 1:03 |
| |
+ 1 | Ben Hammond makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 1:03 |
|
Ty'Reek Coleman personal foul (Ben Hammond draws the foul) | 1:03 |
| |
+ 1 | Ty'Reek Coleman makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 1:20 |
|
Ty'Reek Coleman misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | 1:20 |
| Team Stats | |
|
|---|---|---|
| Points | 38 | 38 |
| Field Goals | 14-27 (51.9%) | 11-21 (52.4%) |
| 3-Pointers | 3-11 (27.3%) | 2-7 (28.6%) |
| Free Throws | 7-10 (70.0%) | 14-21 (66.7%) |
| Total Rebounds | 11 | 20 |
| Offensive | 4 | 6 |
| Defensive | 7 | 12 |
| Team | 0 | 2 |
| Assists | 6 | 3 |
| Steals | 4 | 3 |
| Blocks | 0 | 0 |
| Turnovers | 7 | 9 |
| Fouls | 16 | 12 |
| Technicals | 1 | 0 |
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12 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST
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| Team Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
92.0 PPG | 41.5 RPG | 18.0 APG |
|
|
83.5 PPG | 41.5 RPG | 20.5 APG |
| Top Scorers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B. Hammond G | 12 PTS | 3 REB | 4 AST | ||
| C. Koch F | 12 PTS | 2 REB | 0 AST | ||
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| A. Hansberry | 12 | 1 | 1 | 5/7 | 2/4 | 0/2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| B. Hammond | 12 | 3 | 4 | 4/8 | 1/3 | 3/3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| I. Elohim | 10 | 1 | 0 | 4/6 | 0/1 | 2/3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| J. Curry | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1/4 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| M. Heide | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| A. Hansberry | 12 | 1 | 1 | 5/7 | 2/4 | 0/2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| B. Hammond | 12 | 3 | 4 | 4/8 | 1/3 | 3/3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| I. Elohim | 10 | 1 | 0 | 4/6 | 0/1 | 2/3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| J. Curry | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1/4 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| M. Heide | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| B. Johnson | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| T. Johnson | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| S. Jones | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M. Sagnia | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| N. Hull | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| K. Atak | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| S. Davis | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| E. Copeland | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| E. Eltayeb | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| J. Caldarella | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 38 | 11 | 6 | 14/27 | 3/11 | 7/10 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 7 |
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| C. Koch | 12 | 3 | 0 | 2/5 | 1/3 | 7/8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| T. Sage | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2/5 | 0/1 | 2/2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| K. Combs | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2/2 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Manyawu | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| I. Howard | 3 | 8 | 0 | 1/3 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| C. Koch | 12 | 3 | 0 | 2/5 | 1/3 | 7/8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| T. Sage | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2/5 | 0/1 | 2/2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| K. Combs | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2/2 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Manyawu | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| I. Howard | 3 | 8 | 0 | 1/3 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| T. Coleman | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| A. McKeever | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| J. Coon | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| T. Jirak | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| P. McCollum | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| J. Matteoni | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| J. Koch | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| E. Harris | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| T. Thompson | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 38 | 18 | 3 | 11/21 | 2/7 | 14/21 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 12 |