BLACKSBURG, Virginia (Ticker) -- Sarah Hicks scored 21 points, making half of her 10 3-point attempts, and added nine rebounds to lead 17th-ranked Virginia Tech past Liberty, 60-45, in the opening round of the preseason National Invitation Tournament.

No other player scored more than eight for Virginia Tech (1-0), which broke open a tight game with an 11-2 burst to close the first half. The Hokies forced 17 turnovers and enjoyed a 41-23 edge on the boards.

Amy Wetzel had seven points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals for Virginia Tech.

Sarah Farley scored 13 points and Elena Kisseleva added 12 and seven rebounds for Liberty (0-1). The Lady Flames made just 18-of-52 shots and never were never able to close the deficit to single digits in the second half.