N.C. State women play first game since Yow's death

The night after honoring the memory of North Carolina State University women’s basketball head coach Kay Yow at Reynolds Coliseum, Yow’s team played for the first time since her death.

Posted 1:48 a.m. Jan 30, 2009 — Updated 9:12 p.m. Mar 9, 2009

RALEIGH, N.C. — The night after honoring the memory of North Carolina State University women’s basketball head coach Kay Yow at Reynolds Coliseum, Yow’s team played for the first time since her death.

N.C. State fell to Boston College 62-51at Reynolds Coliseum on Thursday evening.

Yow, 66, died Saturday after battling breast cancer for more than 21 years.

“We’re still here still supporting the team. And I think that she’s here, too, and we believe she’ll always be here,” fan Deb Luckadoo said. “We’re going to try to carry on as she would have us do.”

While the players wore pink – N.C. State in their pink uniforms and Boston College wearing pink shoelaces – fans also honored Yow's long battle against breast cancer by wearing the color.

“Of course we’ll never forget Kay, but this starts the healing process, getting back in the regular swing of things,” NCSU fan Chris Hathcock said.

Friends and fans gathered at Reynolds Coliseum on Wednesday night for a public celebration of Yow’s life.

The tribute was part of an emotionally wrenching week for the Wolfpack. The team returned to practice Tuesday for the first time since Yow's death.

Yow won more than 700 games in 38 seasons, 34 of them with the Wolfpack. She also coached the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal in 1988, won four ACC tournament championships, earned 20 NCAA tournament bids and reached the Final Four in 1998. Her resume was good enough for her to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002 and for the school to dedicate "Kay Yow Court" in Reynolds in 2007.

Services for Yow are scheduled for Friday. A viewing will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Colonial Baptist Church in Cary. A funeral will follow at 3 p.m.

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