How NC State Can Use Its Home Opener to Improve
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RALEIGH — No. 10 NC State (1-1) finished its daunting opening week with a win and a loss. Both games were on neutral sites against ranked opponents, so the start was far from a disaster.
The loss to now No. 8 USC should help the Wolfpack determine what needs to be corrected in the weeks to come. A much-needed return to the Reynolds Coliseum is up next for Wes Moore and NC State, as the Wolfpack is set to host Maine (0-1) in Tuesday's home opener.
Moore and sophomore forward Tilda Trygger both laid out what needs to improve after the loss to the Trojans. The Wolfpack will use the opportunity against a weaker opponent to begin to iron out some of those issues as the 2025-26 season gets into full swing.
Using the Loss
The loss to USC ended with a four-minute scoring drought and an 8-0 Trojan run to give Lindsay Gottlieb's team the 69-68 victory. The stagnant Wolfpack offense was certainly a point of concern, but the veteran NC State coach thinks it comes down to his team's ability to recover moving forward.
"When we watch the film, there's going to be a lot of breakdowns," Moore said Sunday. "Things we can control and it's going to be up to us to fix them."
Moore felt like his team wasn't as dialed as it needed to be throughout the practices in the opening week and the win over Tennessee might've created some overconfidence in his group. With a reality check now completed, Maine could be in major trouble Tuesday.
Finishing Strong
The Wolfpack needs to improve in finishing games and in finishing at the rim. Both of the first two games went to the wire and required late-game heroics to win or lose down the stretch. With a few made free throws or cleaner play, it's highly likely NC State would be 2-0 at this points rather than 1-1.
NC State missed five layups and had six shots blocked in the USC loss. While Khamil Pierre finished with 10 points, she struggled to get clean looks and missed some shots she made in her 21-point effort against Tennessee. Pierre finished the game shooting 25% from the field. She'll look to regain some confidence against a Maine team that allowed 28 paint points in its opening 63-62 loss.
It could be a big night for Trygger, who should have a distinct size advantage over the Black Bears. The Swedish forward took just seven shots against USC after having a much more productive showing against Tennessee. Trygger should have more of a green light in the offense moving forward.
"I think Tilda is doing a great job and I probably should get her more touches to be real honest," Moore said. "She's probably going to have a pretty good field goal percentage and you've got to go with the odds there."
TILDA FOR THREE 🫡 pic.twitter.com/SKxQ67qWcb
— NC State WBB 🐺🏀 (@PackWomensBball) November 9, 2025
The sophomore herself feels as though she has another level she can take her game to. Early in the new season, she's shown a new confidence both on and off the court.
"I'm just trying to take a big responsibility this year and just grow as a player," Trygger said. "Play tough every game, every day... I don't want to force anything."
If Trygger can take a big step and NC State fixes some of its late-game defensive and offensive issues, the Wolfpack should get the season right back on track.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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