BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Jamel Waters scored 21 points to lead Alabama State to an 85-82 victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday.
Waters hit 6 of 16 from the floor, including four 3-pointers. Bobby Brown added 14 points, while Torlorf Thomas had 13.
Alabama State (1-0), which trailed for most of the first half, tied it three times in the second half before finally grabbing a 67-66 lead on a basket by Brown with 7:18 to go. That started a 9-0 run by the Hornets, who took a 74-66 lead on a putback by Steve Rogers -- their biggest lead of the game -- and never trailed again.