More than five minutes before tip-off, coach Kay Yow stepped onto Reynolds Coliseum’s court as head coach for the first time in nearly two months.

She placed her arms over her chest, waved to the crowd and then pointed to the sky. The response? A standing ovation that lasted nearly a minute for the 32-year veteran.

But when the game started, Yow said she remembered what it was like to be a coach.

“When they tossed the ball up, at that moment, you sort of move into that mode,” Yow said. “Up until that time, I wasn’t sure. But when the ball was tossed, and the game started, I sort of felt the old familiar feeling.”

And for a game in which N.C. State trailed Virginia throughout, a come-from-behind 71-60 win couldn’t have been any sweeter to members of the team.

The Wolfpack trailed by as much as nine points early in the second half, but a 3-point basket with less than 12 minutes remaining by senior guard Ashley Key tied the game at 49-49. Minutes later, a lay-up by senior center Gillian Goring put State for good at 54-53.

While Yow was back on the sidelines for the game, she remained reserved for a major part of the game. She said she plans to work her way back into game situations, comparing herself to an injured player working herself back into the lineup.

“I’m back at practice, back at games, but I’m having to ease my way into everything to see how much I can do,” Yow said. “I can’t just come out and jump into everything like I was before I was sick.”

Associate head coach Stephanie Glance, who was interim coach during Yow’s leave of absence, played a similar role as she has in the past 16 games.

While Yow sat in her seat throughout the majority of the game, Glance shouted and pointed directions to her players. She marched up and down the sideline, and still found time to disagree with the referees.

“We had to designate before the game — only one person could really be up off the bench, and I designated coach Glance to be that person because I didn’t know we weren’t going to have to be up off the bench,” Yow said.

Before the game, Yow greeted and hugged Virginia coach Debbie Ryan, who has also battled cancer in the past.

“Once the game started I was OK,” Ryan said. “I was very emotional when I first saw her — I just care a lot about her as a person. She’s one of the kindest, gentlest people you’re ever going to meet. That hug was very emotional for me.”

Ryan, who is in her 30th year at Virginia, said she told her staff a while back they would wear pink during the game.

“We had planned this for quite a while now,” Ryan said. “Because we knew that when I came down, when we played Carolina, I knew that she was talking about coming the game, for around this time — so I figured she would be back for our game with my luck.”

After the game, Yow, as she always does, spoke to the crowd. She explained the importance of her fans and all of the letters she has received during her leave of absence.

“All the e-mails, cards, gifts, flowers — everything I have received has lifted me up so much,” Yow said to the crowd.

As the fans were important to Yow, the players said having Yow was a welcome sight.

Goring said seeing Yow battle made the team “fight for her, keep our promise,” while Key, who finished with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, said seeing her coach back on the sideline really motivated the Pack.

“It’s always a huge boost to have your chief back,” Key said. “Just being able to see her out there and knowing that she may have her weak moments, but that she would be out there and be strong for us.”