Francis Alonso scored 17 points and came up with a big defensive play in the final seconds as UNC-Greensboro defeated North Carolina State 81-76 in Raleigh, N.C., on Saturday afternoon at PNC Arena, winning for the first time in 10 all-time meetings.

UNCG (8-3) responded from a 14-point deficit in the first half.

Marvin Smith scored 16 points to go with 10 rebounds and Jordy Kuiper added 14 points, helping the Spartans push their winning streak to four games. They made 12 of 24 shots from 3-point range.

N.C. State cut a 79-70 deficit with 27 seconds left to 79-76 and regained possession after Smith missed two free throws at the 9.1-second mark. Alonso's steal, followed by two free throws, sealed the outcome.

UNCG surged ahead early in the second half, holding a 15-point lead with less than 11 minutes to play.

Allerik Freeman's 17 points paced N.C. State (8-3), which had won its first seven home games under first-year coach Kevin Keatts. Lennard Freeman and Braxton Beverly added 16 points apiece.

N.C. State, which trailed for less than a minute in the first half, raced out to a 29-15 lead in barely more than 10 minutes, resulting in two UNCG timeouts by that juncture.

But the Spartans recovered to take a pair of brief leads before Freeman scored the last two baskets of the half for a 40-38 edge. The Wolfpack shot 62.5 percent from the field in the opening half.

Prior to the game, N.C. State announced that starting point guard Markell Johnson has been suspended indefinitely because of a violation of the student-athlete code of conduct.

UNCG is 1-2 this season against Atlantic Coast Conference foes, falling in road outings to Virginia and Wake Forest.