RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina State honored Kay Yow once more in the annual game that meant so much to its Hall of Fame coach.

Shayla Fields scored 19 points today to help the Wolfpack beat No. 17 Virginia 60-54 in the emotional "Hoops 4 Hope" game, an event designed to raise money and awareness for the disease that ultimately took Yow's life.

Nikitta Gartrell added 15 points for N.C. State (11-14, 3-7 Atlantic Coast Conference), which took control midway through the second half of the fourth "Hope" game. Inspired by Yow, the event raises research money and awareness about breast cancer.

Yow died last month, more than two decades after first being diagnosed with the disease and about four years after it recurred.

N.C. State played tough defense all day against the Cavaliers (19-7, 5-5), holding them to 36 percent shooting while Tia Bell tied a 30-year-old school record with eight blocked shots. The Wolfpack earned its first win against a ranked opponent since March 2007, though the players were focused on more than just their position in the ACC standings.

"This game was bigger than just a win or a loss for us," Fields said. "It was about people and women in general who are fighting a deadly disease."

N.C. State has won two straight following a 1-8 stretch that began when Yow had to leave the team in December due to extremely low energy. She later announced she would not return this season before being admitted to a hospital, where she spent about a week before her death Jan. 24.

As a result, "Hoops 4 Hope" took on added significance this year and was a sellout for the first time. It drew thousands of fans wearing pink — the color of breast cancer awareness — who participated in a silent auction of Wolfpack memorabilia or made donations to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. By the end of the day, the event had raised more than $91,000, far exceeding the previous high of about $44,000 in 2007.

In addition, about 250 breast cancer survivors gathered on the court at halftime — grouped by how long they've survived cancer — to give hope to those who are currently fighting the disease.

Among those in attendance was Bill Cowher, the former coach of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers and an N.C. State alum. His wife, Kaye, played for Yow here in the 1970s.

"Her goal for this game was they would leave her uplifted and have hope and feel great about the experience they had," said interim coach Stephanie Glance, an assistant to Yow for 15 years. "It really was for Coach Yow about helping other people. She was willing to carry the banner only if it helped others. We're seeing the outpouring of that now."

Like many cancer-awareness events going on across the country this weekend, there was plenty of pink on the court as well as in the stands. Virginia wore pink road uniforms, while the Wolfpack wore the pink-trimmed white uniforms bearing the name "Yow" on the back as they have since her death. And once again, Yow's seat sat empty on the Wolfpack bench, covered only by an N.C. State jersey.

"She would have been very proud of everything that happened today," said Virginia coach Debbie Ryan, who battled pancreatic cancer in 2000. "She would have definitely reveled in everything that took place today. There is no doubt in my mind that this is what Kay fought for."

Lyndra Littles scored 15 points to lead the Cavaliers, who trailed by 10 in the first half before using a 16-0 run spanning halftime to take a 38-29 lead with 13½ minutes left. But the Wolfpack regrouped, getting some clutch shots late from Fields and Gartrell to go back in front.

The Wolfpack also held ACC leading scorer Monica Wright to 12 points on 4-for-17 shooting, almost 10 less than her average.

N.C. State pushed ahead for good with an 11-0 spurt, including a 3-pointer from Fields to tie it at 40 followed by the go-ahead layup from Bonae Holston and a pair of free throws from Fields. Gartrell chipped in a few minutes later by knocking down key jumpers on consecutive possessions, the second beating the shot block and giving N.C. State a 53-46 lead with 2:02 left.

Virginia got no closer than five after that.

"I think the significance of this game lies in a team and a group of people who under very adverse circumstances have continued to persevere," Glance said. "They didn't just throw the towel in. They believed we could do this."