No. 65 Ranked Player Quiet in NC State’s Exhibition

Arizona's No. 2 player, Destiny Lunan, committed to NC State back on November 15, 2024. Now, it's her time to shine. With the Wolfpack entering the season ranked No. 9, HC Wes Moore still has to figure out her identity in this offense.

Lunan, who had offers from Arizona, Florida, Ole Miss, among others, is a projected starter for NC State. It's worth noting she didn't start in the team's first exhibition game, but she scored quickly and later drilled a three en route to the Wolfpack's 77-69 victory over High Point.

Looking at Who Started Instead of Lunan

I’m predicting NC State’s starting lineup will look something like this:

5’10” Zoe Brooks
5’7” Zam Jones
5’’10” Destiny Lunan
6’2” Khamil Pierre
6’6” Tilda Trygger

🔮 pic.twitter.com/Ul0A5M6GCJ
— E J 🏀 (@EJayArrow) October 16, 2025

When NC State's starting lineup was revealed for the exhibition, Lunan wasn't on the list. Currently, ESPN projects Zoe Brooks, Zamareya Jones, Khamil Pierre, Tilda Trygger, and Lunan to start.

For the exhibition, the starting five featured: Brooks, Jones, Qadence Samuels, Pierre, and Trygger. Samuels is a UConn transfer who averaged just 1.3 points per game last season. That was down from her freshman season when she averaged 5.0 points per game.

NC State WBB starting lineup:

Zoe Brooks
Zam Jones
Qadence Samuels
Khamil Pierre
Tilda Trygger
— Cory Smith (@RCorySmith) October 18, 2025

At this stage, Moore is more intrigued by Samuels. Her collegiate experience immediately slots her ahead of Lunan, no matter how few minutes she played with the Huskies last season. In the end, Samuels turned quite a few heads with her 14 points and eight rebounds. In fact, Samuels made the Wolfpack's first two shots of the game while the rest of the team was 0-6.

Destiny Lunan Made The Most Of Her Minutes

Destiny “Ky’She” Lunan enters the game for the Wolfpack and scores quickly.
— Rob McLamb (@RobMcLamb) October 18, 2025

Moore's decision not to start Lunan is far from a death sentence. The 5'10'' guard is one of six projected starting freshmen of the AP Top 25's top nine teams. If Lunan does indeed start, it will show just how much confidence this team has in her abilities.

Lunan came off the bench, though interestingly, wasn't one of the first four subs. Pack Pride's Cory Smith noted that Lorena Awou wasn't available due to illness, but Devyn Quigley, Maddie Cox, Mallory Collier, and Adelaide Jernigan were all the first to come off the bench.

KyShe Lunan and Adelaide Jernigan start the second quarter on the floor together.

Lunan gets the first bucket on a drive to the basket then Zoe Brooks hits a 15-footer to give NC State a 25-21 lead.
— Cory Smith (@RCorySmith) October 18, 2025

Come the second quarter, "Ky'She" knew it was her time to shine. The freshman immediately scored upon checking into the game. While she had scored the first unofficial bucket of her career, it's a feeling she's waited nearly a year for after committing to the Wolfpack.

Later, Lunan added a three-pointer, which gave NC State a comfortable 59-50 lead. The likes of Trygger, Samuels, and Jones took up most of the attention in the exhibition, but Lunan has another exhibition to look forward to, where she can try to increase her stock even further.

Mar 28, 2025; Spokane, WA, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Zamareya Jones (3) shoots during the first half of a Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament basketball game against the LSU Lady Tigers at Spokane Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

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