What we learned as No. 10 NC State women’s basketball falls at home to No. 17 TCU

N.C. State women’s basketball’s fortitude and toughness were tested Sunday in an early-season contest against fellow ranked foe TCU.

The Wolfpack didn’t pass.

After keeping it close in the first half, No. 10 N.C. State trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half on its way to a 69-59 loss to No. 17 TCU at Reynolds Coliseum. It snapped the Wolfpack’s 24-game home winning streak, which was the longest in the nation.

Nothing seemed to go right for the Pack. Its offense struggled once again, and its defense couldn’t keep opposing players away from the rim. The Wolfpack defense did well in the first and fourth quarters, holding the Horned frogs to 15 points or fewer, but it gave up a 25-7 spurt to end the first half and start the second. That deficit ultimately became too much to overcome.

In prior seasons, there was always a measure of toughness and grit to the Wolfpack when it faced adversity. But at times Sunday, N.C. State players dropped their shoulders and heads. The players got sad, not mad, in their second loss to a ranked team in four games this season.

“Energy is the biggest part we need right now,” Tilda Trygger said. “Coach [Wes] Moore was talking about outside of practice, in practice, we need to get our energy up, because when we ain’t hitting shots, we need to do other stuff like rebounding, playing defense. Today we didn’t do enough of that. I think it starts everything with energy.”

Moore said this team is more solemn. It doesn’t have a hype woman to maintain positivity when things get tough, even in practice, and it’s going to need someone to step into that role. It needs someone to help keep the team excited and committed to creating opportunities.

“That’s why I told them, when you’re having an off shooting day — I’ve told them this before — that’s where your competitiveness has to take over,” Moore said. “When you’re having an off night shooting the ball, you gotta find other ways, whether it’s defending, rebounding, whatever. Sometimes we tend to hang our heads when things aren’t going well. That’s really when you need to turn up the fight.”

One big difference for N.C. State (2-2) on Sunday was missing production from a pair of reliable sources. Khamil Pierre and Zoe Brooks averaged a double-double through three games, ranking Nos. 1 and No. 2 in the ACC. Pierre’s double-doubles in the three opening contests put her at No. 2 in the country.

But on Sunday, Pierre finished with eight points and five rebounds, while Brooks had six points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Zamareya Jones was a nonfactor in the loss, shooting 0 for 9 from the field and pulling down one rebound. The trio finished 6 of 37 from the field (16.7%).

Trygger was one of the bright spots, scoring 15 points and hitting a trio of 3-pointers. She also added six rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots. Freshman Ky’She Lunan was the only other player to reach double figures with 10 points, and she poked the ball away for four steals.

TCU (4-0) was led by two former ACC players. Center Marta Suarez tore up the N.C. State defense. She finished with 26 points, three rebounds, two blocks and one steal. She shot 10 of 18 from the field and 4 of 8 from 3. Guard Olivia Miles scored 15 points and pulled down 14 rebounds.

Suarez transferred from California and Miles from Notre Dame. Suarez scored 17 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in N.C. State’s loss to California in January, a game that snapped the team’s seven-game win streak. It was one of two conference losses last season.

Miles, however, scored 22 points for the Irish in N.C. State’s double overtime win in February.

N.C. State isn’t panicking. It has played one of the most difficult schedules in the nation and is only four games in. But it also recognizes the need for urgency.

“We’re not going to lower our standards,” Moore said. “We’re going to keep our expectations high and play a good schedule. Is it tough for a young team? Yeah, probably so. … We’ve got to fix it ourselves. We’re not going to change personnel as far as who’s on the bench, who’s on the team. We’ve got, who we got, so we’ve got to get better.”

Here are three more things we learned Sunday:

Slow start for the third straight game

In four games this season, the Wolfpack offense hasn’t started well in three. Sunday was no different. N.C. State opened the game 0 for 3 from the field, and were 2 for 16 with three minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Jones, Brooks and Pierre — the team’s three leading scorers — opened the game 1 for 13 from the field and 0 for 4 from the perimeter. As a team, it went through a stretch where it missed nine straight shots.

N.C. State scored just nine first-quarter points in its most recent game against Maine. With a minute and a half remaining in the opening period on Sunday, it looked like that might be the case again. The Wolfpack had some good looks, but they weren’t falling. A number of its best shot attempts rimmed out to the dismay of N.C. State players, coaches and fans.

The team used an 8-0 run to end the quarter and cut TCU’s lead to two points.

Keeping up with the size and physicality

N.C. State struggled against TCU’s size. Trygger, listed at 6-6, is the tallest Wolfpack player. Only six players are listed at six feet or taller. Though Trygger added muscle in the offseason, she doesn’t have the same bulk as some opposing players.

Meanwhile, TCU’s roster features 11 players who are at least six feet tall and four who are taller than Trygger. It is listed as the tallest team in Division I, according to the program’s game notes.

At halftime, the Wolfpack had out-rebounded the Horned Frogs, 23-21, but it finished with a 15-11 deficit on defensive rebounds. At the end of the game, TCU finished with a 45-41 overall rebounding advantage, including a 33-25 mark on the defensive glass.

Horned Frogs center Clara Silva, listed at 6-7, beat out Pierre and Trygger in the lane on offense and defense.

Additionally, the officials limited the number of foul calls in the first half. There were instances of contact, on and off the ball, that were not called. Jerseys and arms were pulled.

Devyn Quigley hit a fadeaway jumper but wasn’t awarded a free throw despite getting wrapped up by a defender. Similarly, Pierre missed a field goal after being the recipient of a TCU hip check. She did not go to the line.

Marta Suarez and Silva were two of the more physical matchups. They did not pick up their first fouls until the fourth quarter.

N.C. State finished 8-24 on layups, some of which were probably due for a trip to the line.

Whether it was the right decision to allow the teams to play through can be debated, but the Pack also didn’t exert the same aggression as TCU.

“They wanted it more than us. I feel like we were trying to go to the basket, they were hitting us, and we kind of backed down,” Lunan said. “Coach Moore, he preaches that every day at practice. We’ve got to want it. We’ve got to be dawgs like we said we are. We just have to take pride in that.”

Cox provides strong contribution off the bench

Forward Maddie Cox was due for a good game. In her third season, Cox has regularly come off the bench but doesn’t have many notable performances on her resume.

She deserves credit, despite the loss, for entering the game and providing a spark on offense and defense. Her efforts were especially evident in the first half.

Cox’s defensive pressure forced Suarez to commit a turnover after losing possession of the ball. She played strong defense on one of Kennedy Basham’s layup attempts, leading to a missed basket.

On the other side, Cox hit a clutch 3-pointer to tie the game at 20 each. She finished with five points and two rebounds but was disruptive in ways that don’t show up statistically.

“Maddie is great. She comes in, and she does what she does best,” Lunan said. “She’s a dawg. Coming off the bench, she literally puts it all out there on the floor, and she gives us that energy that we don’t have some sometimes. SoI feel like Maddie, she’s a great aspect of the team.”

Cox, who has come in several times this season for defensive help, may be an X-factor for the Wolfpack as the season progresses.

This story was originally published November 16, 2025 at 3:19 PM.

Jadyn Watson-Fisher

The News & Observer