KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- North Carolina State coach Kay Yow wanted a good show to start the season against Rutgers, and her Wolfpack delivered with a 68-55 upset victory Sunday in the Tip-Off Classic.

	Summer Erb blocks out Rutgers' Davalyn Cunningham.

"We knew that the first five minutes of both halves would be critical," she said. "We knew that we had to bear down and play the best that we could."

North Carolina State (No. 18 ESPN/USA Today; No. 20 AP) took the lead on a three-point play by freshman Kaayla Chones with less than two minutes gone, and never trailed thereafter.

Rutgers (No. 3 ESPN/USA Today; No. 4 AP) experienced long dry spells in the first half but managed to narrow the Wolfpack's lead to 30-24 at halftime.

The Wolfpack came out hot in the second half, scoring nine straight points, increasing the lead to the largest of the game, 39-24, with 16:56 to play on two free throws by Terah James.

Rutgers cut the deficit to 49-41 on a free throw by Tasha Pointer with 5:35 left, but got no closer.

"To say that we're excited is an understatement," Yow said after watching her team celebrate at center court.

"N.C. State played with great poise," Rutgers coach Vivian Stringer said. "Coach Yow came with a young team and they came with no fear."

Tynesha Lewis led the Wolfpack with 17 points. Chones added 10 and James, also a freshman, had 15.

"Terah and Kaayla impressed us in the preseason," Yow said. "They went step for step with our upperclassmen, and in some cases, were a step ahead of our returning players. They are going to be a key."

Stringer said she expected the Wolfpack's 6-foot-6 center Summer Erb, last year's Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year, would "hurt us more. But it was their freshmen. They were big for them today."

The cold-shooting Scarlet Knights, paced by Shawnetta Stewart with 16 points and Pointer's 13, shot 35 percent from the field to the Wolfpack's 50 percent.

A full-court press by Rutgers in the closing minutes didn't slow down N.C. State, and provided breakaways baskets for Lewis, James and Monica Bates.