NC State WBB Opened Their Season With a 80-50 Win Over Wofford

Basketball season, that is.

And I don't know about y'all, but there's just something about being back inside Reynolds Coliseum for the first game of the season.

The energy, the excitement, and finally getting to see what a team looks like after months of talking about what it couldbe.

Well, last night, we got our first look.

No. 25 NC State opened its season with an 80-50 win over Wofford, and for stretches of that game? Whew. The Wolfpack looked GOOD.

A 25-7 first quarter. A 44-16 halftime lead. And at one point in the third quarter, NC State led by as many as 44.

Not a bad way to welcome everybody back to Reynolds, right?

And while I expected NC State to take care of business against Wofford, there were a few individual performances that really caught my attention.

Zoe Brooks gave us one of the most complete halves of basketball I've seen from her. Ky'She Lunan made a pretty convincing argument that opposing coaches might need to start adjusting their scouting reports. And a few of the younger players showed us exactly why the little things matter.

Now, was everything perfect? Of course not. It's Game 1.

But what I saw wasn't a team searching for an identity. I saw a team with a lot of promising pieces, some encouraging early chemistry, and a few details to sharpen as the competition gets tougher.

So, let's talk about it.

I'm going to go ahead and say it.

That first half might have been the best half of basketball I've seen Zoe Brooks play in an NC State uniform.

And yes, I know that's a pretty big statement.

But hear me out.

Zoe had 17 points by halftime, including 10 in the first quarter. She finished with 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and just 1 turnover.

Pretty impressive, right?

But what stood out to me wasn't necessarily the scoring.

It was everything else.

She facilitated. She set screens. She was in the right spots defensively. And possession after possession, she seemed to be making the right basketball play.

That's what impressed me.

Because we already know Zoe Brooks can score.

We've seen her get downhill, create her own shot, and take over offensively when NC State needs a bucket.

But what happens when you combine that scoring ability with everything else she can bring to the floor?

Now we're talking about a completely different level of impact.

And I loved that Coach Moore recognized it, too.

After the game, he praised how complete her first-half performance was. And from her reaction, she almost seemed a little surprised.

Sometimes it's about making the right read, setting a good screen, being in the right defensive position, or creating an opportunity for somebody else.

Those are the things that don't always jump off the stat sheet, but they absolutely impact winning.

And if this is the version of Zoe Brooks we're going to see consistently this season?

I like where things are headed.

Now, can we talk about Ky'She Lunan?

Because 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc?

Okay, Ky'She!

And here's what makes that performance even more impressive. Her previous career high was 11 points. She passed that in the second quarter and finished with 6 rebounds to go along with her new career high.

During the broadcast, we talked about what it means for a player like Lunan to share the floor with Zoe Brooks and Khamil Pierre.

Think about it.

If you're preparing to play NC State, you're probably spending a significant amount of time figuring out how to contain Brooks and Pierre.

But what happens when Lunan starts consistently making you pay for that attention?

Now you've got another problem.

And that's why I said during the broadcast that Lunan is working her way UP the scouting report.

She's not just somebody you can leave open and hope she misses anymore.

She's playing with confidence, she's comfortable, and the game looks like it's slowing down for her.

And when you have a player who can knock down shots at that level alongside Brooks and Pierre, it changes how defenses have to approach NC State.

Speaking of Pierre, she finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, giving the Wolfpack a double-double to go along with those 2 big scoring performances.

That's 59 points and 24 rebounds between those 3 players.

Not too shabby.

One of my biggest takeaways from last night?

This team can FLY.

NC State scored 31 points on 27 transition possessions and outscored Wofford 28-2 in fast-break points.

And what makes that especially exciting is that the Wolfpack doesn't have to rely on Brooks to initiate everything.

Pierre and Khady Leye can grab a rebound and push the basketball themselves.

That versatility makes NC State difficult to defend, especially when everyone is running the floor and making quick decisions.

We saw that in the first quarter, when Wofford shot just 2-of-17, and again in the third, when NC State opened the half on an 18-2 run.

There was a stretch where it felt like every Wofford pass had an NC State defender waiting for it.

Active hands. Pressure on the basketball. Anticipating passes.

I loved it.

And you could see some of the defensive principles Ronnie Fisher has been emphasizing.

Now, the biggest adjustment I'd like to see is maintaining that same urgency when the game slows down.

NC State was much more efficient in transition than in some of its half-court actions. And while that's not particularly surprising for a team with this much athleticism, it's something worth watching as the competition improves.

Because when this team is moving, cutting, and attacking?

That's when it's at its best.

Now, I have to give Wofford's Gabby Mundy some credit.

She finished with 22 points, accounting for 44% of Wofford's offense, and she was able to create some problems for NC State in ball-screen situations.

But here's where the film gets interesting.

When NC State defended Wofford's pick-and-roll ball handlers with just 1 defender, the Terriers scored 18 points on 20 possessions.

When NC State committed a second defender?

Just 4 points on 13 possessions.

That's a pretty significant difference.

But here's something I think Coach Moore will still bring up when they go back and watch the film.

Mundy was getting too many opportunities to shoot behind the ball screen.

And that's something NC State has to be aware of, regardless of what those defensive possession numbers tell us.

Because while bringing that second defender into the action helped limit Wofford's production, it doesn't necessarily mean NC State took away everything it wanted to.

Mundy was still finding opportunities to get shots off, particularly when defenders didn't get over the screen quickly enough.

And against a confident shooter, you can't consistently give up that kind of space.

That's where the details matter.

Knowing the scouting report, communicating the coverage, and making sure the ball handler isn't getting a clean look simply because she used a screen.

Now, Wofford shot just 26.9% from the field, so plenty of those opportunities didn't turn into points.

But against a team with more offensive weapons, those same looks could become a much bigger problem.

The encouraging part? NC State showed that its ball-screen defense can be effective.

Now it's about tightening up the execution and making sure those shooters aren't getting comfortable behind the screen.

There were a few other performances that caught my attention, starting with Desiree Wooten.

Coach Moore talked before the season about how impressive Wooten had been in the closed scrimmage, but how he wanted to see that production carry over when the lights came on.

Well, she certainly gave us a glimpse.

Wooten scored 8 points in the first quarter, including an early 3-pointer, and I loved how aggressive she looked.

She finished with 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 turnovers.

There were a few possessions where she got a little casual with the basketball, but I appreciated her postgame assessment that she played well and still wanted more from herself.

That's exactly the mentality you want.

And then there's freshman Annsley Trivette.

Her final numbers were 5 points and 3 rebounds in just 9 minutes, but one of my favorite plays of the night came from her.

In the fourth quarter, Adelaide Jernigan took a shot from the corner, and instead of standing around watching the basketball, Trivette repositioned herself to the weak side.

She anticipated where the miss would come off, grabbed the offensive rebound, and finished on the reverse.

Now, that's a little thing.

But it's a BIG little thing.

Especially for a freshman.

Earlier in the game, you could tell she was still adjusting to the speed of college basketball. But as the game progressed, she looked more comfortable.

And those are the moments I love seeing from young players.

Because it's not all about scoring.

Sometimes it's about showing your coaches that you understand the game and can make winning plays.

Before wrapping up, I want to share something that has nothing to do with the final score.

Wofford senior Courtney Swider recently received the Kay Yow Servant Leader Award, recognizing her commitment to service and leadership.

She's Wofford's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee president, serves on the board of Morgan's Message, participates in FCA, and helped bring Team IMPACT to Wofford.

But here's what makes the story even more special.

Her first game wearing the Kay Yow Fund's Servant Leader patch?

On Kay Yow Court.

Inside Reynolds Coliseum.

I mean, come on. You couldn't have scripted that any better.

Coach Garrity spoke highly of her commitment to serving others during our pregame conversation, and I thought it was such a meaningful moment.

Sometimes basketball gives us stories that are bigger than the game itself.

And this was certainly one of them.

For me, the biggest takeaway from NC State's season opener is that there's a lot to like about what this team can become.

Brooks looked like a complete player. Lunan is becoming a legitimate offensive threat. Pierre gave NC State another double-double, and we saw encouraging moments from both the transfers and younger players.

Defensively, there were stretches where the Wolfpack looked extremely disruptive.

And while there are a few details to clean up, that's part of the process.

NC State won the rebounding battle 49-36, scored 40 points in the paint, and turned Wofford's turnovers into 23 points.

The Wolfpack also committed 15 turnovers and shot 9-of-15 from the free-throw line, so there are a few areas Coach Moore will undoubtedly emphasize.

But I wouldn't overcomplicate what we saw.

NC State took care of business, showed some promising individual development, and gave us a glimpse of what this team can look like when everything is clicking.

Now comes the fun part.

Campbell visits Reynolds on Wednesday before NC State heads to Charlotte to face Kentucky on Sunday.

And that's where we'll get another opportunity to see how some of these early observations translate against tougher competition.

But for now?

Basketball season is back.

And if this is just our first look at what NC State has to offer? I can't wait to see what comes next.