Coach Kay Yow was back in her element at Reynolds Coliseum on Thursday night.

It was as if she had never left—going through the x's and o's, yelling out directions, cheering on the NC State women’s basketball team. The night wasn’t really wasn't about winning and losing, though.

For Yow and many of the Wolfpack fans, Thursday’s game against Virginia was about more than basketball.

The warm embrace of the standing ovation let the leader of the Wolfpack women know, that she was missed.

“Just her spirit and her enthusiasm, what she brings not just to NC State but to women's basketball and to the national sport—it's just an amazing thing,” said fan Buzzy Correll.

Yow’s return to the bench came two months after breast cancer forced her to take a leave of absence.

“Just to know her strength and the courage she has to keep fighting, it's wonderful,” fan Sandy Black said as she watched Yow.

Dwayne Knight drove more than three hours just for the game.

In a show of solidarity, the Virginia coaching staff all wore pink.

Then again, their fans have cause to celebrate, too. Coach Debbie Ryan has been free of pancreatic cancer for six.

“I just want to say thank you so much for that kind of support. you're awesome and you're Wolfpack family,” Yow told the crowd after her team’s victory.

NC State's fight against breast cancer continues this weekend with another Hoops for Hope event that includes a health fair, guest speakers and a silent auction. It's capped off by a game between the Wolfpack and Boston College.

All proceeds benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.