Wes Moore Discusses Wolfpack Win, Surprising Suspension

RALEIGH — After falling to No. 9 Oklahoma in the ACC/SEC Women's Challenge on Wednesday, NC State bounced back with a gritty victory back home in Reynolds Coliseum, beating Seton Hall 61-53 in Sunday's matchup. Head coach Wes Moore helped his team overcome yet another difficult shooting performance, as the Wolfpack made just 35.9% of its shots in the win.

The veteran coach was proud of the effort of his team, particularly in the second half. However, he also revealed that sophomore center Lorena Awou was suspended indefinitely, as she was not on the bench during the victory.

What Moore said

Nov 9, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Wes Moore reacts to a play against the Southern California Trojans during the second quarter of the Ally Tipoff game at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

The Wolfpack dealt with an illness that forced forward Khamil Pierre and guard Qadence Samuels to the bench for the Seton Hall game. Freshman guard Adelaide Jernigan also dealt with the illness and did not make an appearance against the Pirates. However, Awou's absence did not fall in line with the sickness the Wolfpack was dealing with.

"Lorena, we're just going through a time right now where she's kind of suspended for the moment, and we'll kind of see where that goes," Moore said. "Khamil didn't practice all week, and this morning she came in during shoot-around and had an IV... Qadence missed a day or so of practice as well because of it. We had coaches that were out for a couple of days as well."

Pierre gutted things out for the Wolfpack, scoring 11 points and tallying eight rebounds. All of her scoring came in the second half, as she helped NC State break out of a fourth-quarter scoring drought that nearly cost the group the game. Moore was particularly impressed with her effort as she was dealing with a serious illness throughout the week.

"I think it's been a real transition for Khamil. I think she was real comfortable at her prior school and now you come in and get dropped in here and it's almost like being a freshman again," Moore said. "... I appreciate her being willing to do that and, you know, take it to try to help the team in whatever way she could. And it turned out we needed her."

As for the team's struggles in finding veteran leadership, Moore continued to lack answers. He discussed Zam Jones and Zoe Brooks' efforts in trying to step up, still lacking the same confidence he had in some of his more experienced groups of the past.

"I think it's tough... You'd say Zoe, maybe, but Zoe's not really vocal. That's not her thing. So again, that's part of it probably," Moore said. "We're still with no seniors on the roster, we're still probably lacking a little bit in that area. And I think we're going to have to do it by committee."

Moore and the Wolfpack finished the non-conference portion of the 2025-26 season with Sunday's win. Now, the program turns its gaze to the ACC, which has failed to begin the year strongly as a conference. The Wolfpack opens conference play on Sunday on the road against Miami.

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