Zach LeDay collected 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead Virginia Tech to an 88-72 nonconference victory over visiting Virginia Military Institute on Saturday night at Cassell Coliseum.

Seth Allen had 15 points while Chris Clarke added 13 each for Virginia Tech, off to its first 3-0 start since 2012.

VMI (1-2) was led by QJ Peterson's game-high 29 points while Trey Chapman and Adam Rich added 10 points each for the Keydets, who haven't won on the Hokies' court since 1997.

Khadim Sy's layup at the 6:33 mark of the first half gave broke a 25-25 tie but it took a couple more minutes for the Hokies to fully ignite.

Virginia Tech outscored VMI 15-6 in the final 4:39 on the opening half on the way to a 44-34 halftime lead.

The Hokies opened a 20-point lead at 64-44 on a LeDay layup with 13:50 to play. The Keydets climbed back to within 10 points at 69-59 on a pair of Peterson free throws but never got closer.

VMI shot 44.1 percent (26-of-59) from the field and had 9-of-24 3 point tries. Virginia Tech was 33-of-55 (60 percent) from the field and out rebounded the Keydets 34-28.

The Hokies now hold a 91-43 advantage in a series that dates back to the 1908-09 season, Virginia Tech's second longest rivalry.