STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) — Eltramon Smith Jr. scored 24 points as Georgia Southern beat Ball State 67-55 in a season opener on Monday.

Smith added five rebounds for the Eagles. Dallas Gardner added 13 points while shooting 4 of 7 from the field and 5 for 9 from the line while they also had 13 rebounds. Josh Dixon shot 2 of 4 from the field and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line to finish with seven points.

Javion Guy-King finished with 12 points for the Cardinals. Ball State also got six points and six rebounds from Kai McGrew. Joey Hart also had six points.

Up next

Both teams next play on Friday. Georgia Southern visits Georgia Tech, and Ball State plays Indiana State at home.