BOONE, N.C. -- Freshman Jalen Thomas came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points and Georgia State jumped out to a big lead and held off Appalachian State 69-60 in a Sun Belt Conference opener on Thursday night.

Thomas hit all seven of his shots from the floor and added six rebounds for the Panthers (10-4), who led 40-23 at halftime. Justin Roberts added 13 points, while Joe Jones III and Corey Allen scored 11 apiece. Kane Williams had a career-high nine assists with four steals.

Sophomore Adrian Delph finished with 18 points and a career-best 10 rebounds for his first-career double-double for the Mountaineers (8-6). O'Showen Williams scored 12 but had seven of Appalachian State's 24 turnovers. Justin Forrest had 10 points but made just 2 of 14 shots.

The Mountaineers made only 14 of 28 free throws, while Georgia State sank 9 of 13.

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