Wes Moore's Thoughts After NC State's Loss to USC

CHARLOTTE — In its first game of the season, No. 9 NC State held on to a late lead against No. 8 Tennessee and escaped with a win. In Sunday's ranked matchup against No. 18 USC, Wes Moore's Wolfpack squad failed to replicate the late-game escape artistry that had characterized their win on Tuesday.

The Trojans outscored NC State 19-10 in the fourth quarter and held the Wolfpack scoreless over the last four minutes of the game.

Moore spoke to members of the media after his team crumbled down the stretch, expressing some concern about the turnover issues and his own choices and play-calling in the fourth quarter of the loss.

Watch NC State's Press Conference

Moore's Quotes

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

From his opening statement after the 69-68 loss

"Just a tough one to handle. We kind of let it get away from us, so tip your hat to Southern Cal. They made plays down the stretch. They outscored us 19-10 in the fourth quarter. Again, we had obviously a little bit of a lead there and just couldn't finish it off."

"As a coach, I've got to make sure I do the best job I can to put them in a position to close that game out, but again, tough loss. You've got a lead and an opportunity and you've just got to make plays down the stretch and find a way to win that game."

Nov 9, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Londynn Jones (3) goes to the basket with NC State Wolfpack guard Qadence Samuels (2) defending during the third quarter of the Ally Tipoff game at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

On if his team cleaned some of the issues from the Tennessee game up during the week

"No... I told them we've got to do a better job in practice... I've got to, you know, make sure that I hold them accountable and that we're focused and attention in practice is where it needs to be. We had a lot of breakdowns down the stretch and at the end of the day, that's on me."

"But again, Zoe (Brooks) had a great game, 10-for-20 from the field... I knew it then... Probably should have had her coming off the pick instead of throwing the ball in, so something I've got to look at. But we had some breakdowns, you know, on the side out-of-bounds play that they scored on. Some things that we traditionally try to do we didn't get done there..."

Wes Moore and Zoe Brook — Oct 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina State head coach Wes Moore answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

On what he's learned about his team after two ranked matchups in the first week of the season

"Tuesday night, obviously, I was proud of our ability to mentally, physically handle the press and all those things and find a way to finish the game out. Then today, we were on the other end of it, we didn't quite finish it out, and like I said, there's gonna be a lot of... breakdowns, things we can control and it's going to be up to us to fix them."

" I felt like we haven't been maybe, as locked in and focused in practice this week, and that falls on me. I've got to require that and make sure that we tie up the loose ends, so it's on me. I've got to do a better job."

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