Wolfpack Wins Ugly Against Coastal Carolina

With star forward Tilda Trygger ruled out of the game with an eye injury, Moore turned to junior forward Maddie Cox for key starting minutes. Cox answered with a career-best performance, coming out firing in the first quarter. The junior drilled her first two attempts from 3-point range and finished the quarter with eight points. 

The Wolfpack shot 50% from the field in the first quarter, a much different start than both the Maine win and the TCU loss. Cox wasn’t done after just one quarter either, as the forward continued to be an effective option from beyond the arc. She scored a career-high 11 points in the win. 

Trygger’s absence allowed other Wolfpack bigs to get extended playing time as well. Sophomore center Lorena Awou checked in for a significant spurt in the first half, overpowering the undersized Chanticleers. Her stints weren’t perfect, but she walked away with four points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks. 

It was clear that the Swedish forward’s absence hurt the Wolfpack’s rhythm offensively, as NC State looked disjointed at times without her in the mix. The Pack also lacked the intimidating shot-blocking presence normally provided by Trygger in the paint, but still blocked six shots.

Inconsistency Remains 

After the loss to TCU, it was clear the Wolfpack needed to regain some confidence and flesh out more of an identity. Coastal Carolina’s serious offensive woes helped the Wolfpack with both of those tasks. The Chanticleers made their first three shots of the game and proceeded to miss 18 straight attempts. During those 13:39 minutes, NC State went on a 22-0 run. 

NC State still struggled offensively at times, particularly in the second quarter. However, the comfortable lead allowed Moore to experiment with different rotations. When the shots were falling for the Pack, they fell in bunches. The team continued to struggle from 3-point range, shooting just 4-of-14 in the first half and 9-of-19 in the game. 

The Pack’s shot selection did improve, however. That change came in large part due to a greater emphasis on ball movement. After finishing the TCU loss with just 11 assists, the Wolfpack tallied nine in the first half against the Chanticleers. The team ended with 20. Sophomore guard Zam Jones appeared to be more settled into her role as the primary distributor, finishing with eight assists. 

A slog of a third quarter killed much of the positive momentum for NC State. Coastal Carolina outscored the Wolfpack 26-19 in the period and cut the lead to as few as nine points. The Pack turned the ball over five times in those 10 minutes, aiding the Chanticleer comeback greatly. Moore’s squad finished the game with 21 giveaways, continuing the concerning trend. 

Final Word 

NC State didn’t finish the game strongly either. The Wolfpack let the Chanticleers hang around throughout the fourth quarter. If not for some success from beyond the arc in the period, the result might’ve been closer than it actually was. 

Jones and Lunan both came alive offensively in the quarter, combining for 11 points and a trio of 3-pointers. Brooks dictated the pace down the stretch, but unforced turnovers, particularly two travels by Lunan, continued to let Coastal Carolina be competitive enough that Moore had to leave his top guards in the game. Brooks and Jones each scored 13 points by the time the final buzzer sounded. 

The Wolfpack will turn its gaze to a Sunday tilt against Rhode Island. Tipoff for that matchup is scheduled for 2 P.M. EST.

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