Instant observations: NC State pushes past High Point in exhibition win

A year ago, NC State eased then-freshman center Tilda Trygger into the lineup as it slowly expanded her role. But by the end of the season, she was the Wolfpack’s go-to center as she gained confidence every time she hit the floor en route to three double-doubles.  This season? It’s a brand-new Trygger anchoring the paint for the Pack.  Not only did her first year of college basketball appear to take the 6-foot-6 stretch five’s game to another level, but so did her summer with the Swedish U-20 national team after helping the squad to a fourth-place finish at the Women’s EuroBasket in early August. So when Trygger hit the floor with NC State for its first preseason exhibition with High Point at Reynolds Coliseum, she seemed as if she was a fourth-year veteran on the floor.  The Stockholm, Sweden, native posted a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double to pace the ninth-ranked Wolfpack to a 77-69 win over the Panthers. She also added two assists without a turnover in her 32 minutes on the court. While Trygger took control of the game to help pace NC State past High Point, she wasn’t alone in the Wolfpack’s offensive attack. UConn transfer wing Qadence Samuels scored 15 points, while sophomore guard Zamareya Jones added 12 and sophomore guard Devyn Quigley logged 9 in the victory. Here are three observations from the Wolfpack’s first preseason tune-up ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.