Tracy Smith had 18 points and 11 rebounds to help North Carolina State beat Georgia State 69-53 in the season opener for both teams Thursday night.

Julius Mays scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half for the Wolfpack (1-0), who shook off a bad shooting night and the stubborn Panthers to win their opener for the 16th straight season.

Ousman Krubally had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Georgia State (0-1), which shot 37 percent.

In a tight game that was tied with about 14 minutes left, Mays came through with four free throws and a key basket that helped N.C. State get some separation. Javi Gonzalez followed with a 3-pointer to start an 18-5 run that blew the game open in the final minutes.

N.C. State won despite shooting 41 percent and missing 13 of 16 3-point attempts.