Trygger's Absence Helps Cox Emerge For Wolfpack
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RALEIGH — While No. 16 NC State didn't get the prettiest of wins over Coastal Carolina on Wednesday night, the Wolfpack did what it needed to do and may have solved a major issue that emerged during the 2-2 start.
The Wolfpack's star sophomore forward Tilda Trygger suffered an eye injury before the game and sat out, forcing head coach Wes Moore to dig deeper into his bench against the Chanticleers. To replace Trygger's size in the starting lineup, the veteran coach turned to Maddie Cox, a junior forward. The decision proved wise for both Moore and the team, as Cox thrived in the 71-58 win.
Filling in for Trygger
While Trygger won't be out for long according to Moore, her loss was certainly a cause for concern for the Wolfpack heading into Wednesday's matchup. Cox quickly made her coaches feel better, storming out of the gate with a pair of 3-pointers to jumpstart the offense. She finished the game with 11 points, good for a new career-high.
Cox's emergence allowed Moore's team to cruise for large portions of the game without worrying too much about a lack of size and paint presence, although Coastal hung around late into the fourth quarter. The most important part of the junior's stints was that the lineup looked to have more energy than it did in the losses to TCU and USC.
MADDIE IS HAVING HERSELF A QUARTER
— NC State WBB 🐺🏀 (@PackWomensBball) November 19, 2025
Pack are on a 12-0 run‼️ pic.twitter.com/g0C11U8HF9
The spark provided by Cox in her second career start helped the Wolfpack finish the first half on a 14-0 run. It was the most complete half of basketball Moore's team played to date, as NC State made plays on both sides. For the coach, seeing Cox perform at a high level was validation of his program philosophy.
"Someone that's paid her dues, been in the program for a couple of years, been loyal to the program, stuck it out, stayed with it. It's awesome to see her get rewarded like that," Moore said. "...That was a lift for us, definitely."
Throughout the 3-2 start, finding leadership has been a struggle in Moore's eyes. The Wolfpack lost heaps of experience over the offseason, placing a heavy burden on junior Zoe Brooks and sophomore Zam Jones. In her postgame press conference, Cox articulated how she was motivated by Brooks, a promising development for the Wolfpack.
"They have the most confidence in me and it's helped me tremendously this year," Cox said. "Zoe told me every time, shoot the next one, shoot the next one, so I think just them instilling that into me is amazing."
THE MADDIE COX GAME 🔥
— NC State WBB 🐺🏀 (@PackWomensBball) November 20, 2025
More of where that came from! pic.twitter.com/RCCTsBrUhH
As for solving the Wolfpack's energy crisis, Cox stepped up to the plate. While her own scoring was a boost in itself, she also showed quality communication on both sides of the court. Her success only made those around her more excited to play in a game where some extra energy could only help.
"We've been talking about bringing energy this whole week and we didn't have a lot of energy last game," Cox said. "I think we're really focusing on that piece, bringing energy to practice, bringing energy to pregame and all that stuff."
While Trygger should make her return in the next week, Cox's emergence gives Moore a more reliable option off the bench that he expected coming into the season. If Trygger can't go Sunday, it seems logical the Wolfpack will continue to roll with Cox in her stead against Rhode Island.
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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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