RALEIGH — Wes Moore and NC State women’s basketball came close to finally getting over the hump against a ranked opponent after coming up short in nearly all of its early-season opportunities against such foes. However, Louisville, now ranked No. 8, outlasted the Wolfpack in overtime, giving Moore’s team its second conference loss of the season.
The Cardinals were behind the Pack for most of the first three quarters, but made savvy adjustments to ultimately come back and win the game in overtime. The defensive changes made by Louisville head coach Jeff Walz and his staff were particularly effective, preventing NC State from having the same success it had early in the game offensively.
How the Cardinals took away Tilda Trygger
Entering the matchup, sophomore forward Tilda Trygger was playing some of her best basketball as a member of the Wolfpack. She scored 18-plus in two of the previous three games for NC State, racking up three-straight double-doubles in that span as well. While she had a size advantage over Louisville’s forwards, the Cardinals had the depth to lean on Trygger, as well as make anything she wanted to do more difficult.
“Hats off to Louisville. I think they understood that and they tried to do things to take (Trygger) away,” NC State assistant coach Ashley Williams said after the loss. “I think their pressure at times prevented us from getting the ball where we wanted to get it. Some of it is just them and how they guarded stuff.”…