NC State Center No Longer With the Team
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RALEIGH — NC State sophomore center Lorena Awou is no longer with the program after being suspended by head coach Wes Moore in early December, a team spokesperson told NC State On SI. Awou's absence from the bench over the last month indicated that this might be a possibility, although it wasn't officially revealed until Jan. 4.
"We're just going through a time right now where she's kind of suspended for the moment," Moore said after the 61-53 win over Seton Hall. "We'll see where that goes."
The impact of losing Awou
Awou didn't appear to be a consistent member of NC State's rotation throughout the start of the 2025-26 season, with sophomore forward Tilda Trygger and juniors Khamil Pierre and Maddie Cox taking up most of the frontcourt minutes for the Wolfpack. In the 10 games before her suspension, Awou only appeared in three of them, averaging 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds.
The sophomore center didn't appear on the bench in any of the team's last five games during the suspension. While she wasn't playing consistently, her presence offered Moore and the Wolfpack staff a valuable option off the bench in matchups against larger teams with a greater presence in the paint, as Awou stood 6-foot-5, making her the second-tallest player on the roster behind Trygger at 6-foot-6.
Even on the day of Awou's exit becoming official, NC State's front court will be stretched thin, as Trygger is slated to miss Sunday's matchup against the Cal Golden Bears as she deals with an illness. The illness has been going around the team for the last couple of weeks and isn't expected to cause a lengthy absence for the Swedish forward, luckily for Moore and the Wolfpack.
Since the start of December, NC State flipped a switch after a difficult run through the non-conference schedule. The Wolfpack sits at 10-4 overall with a perfect 3-0 start through ACC play, looking to push that win streak to four games with a win over the Golden Bears, a team it lost to in Berkeley, California, a year ago.
Shots up this AM ⛹️♀️ pic.twitter.com/o9d63BAHnZ
— NC State WBB 🐺🏀 (@PackWomensBball) January 4, 2026
The East Moline, Illinois, native was more of a contributor during the Wolfpack's run through the ACC in her freshman season. She averaged 3.2 points and 2.5 rebounds in her 8.8 minutes per game, helping the Wolfpack take down some key conference opponents.
Junior center Mallory Collier could be another candidate for more playing time after Awou's exit from the program. For now, the Wolfpack is focused on taking down Cal and continuing a perfect start to league play.
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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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