Shortly before the women’s basketball team played against UC Santa Barbara on Sunday night, the players heard from coach Kay Yow.

While Yow has taken a leave of absence and could not make the West Coast trip with the team because of her progressing cancer, she did talk to members of the team.

“Sunday she talked to us all on the speakerphone before the game,” senior forward Sasha Reaves said. “That lifted us up a little bit.”

After losing the first game of the trip to Arizona 68-66 in overtime, the team was able to bounce back and defeat UC Santa Barbara 64-55.

According to a press release from last week, Yow’s absence will extend for an indefinite period of time. During that time, associate head coach Stephanie Glance has taken the role as interim coach.

Glance, who keeps in contact with Yow, said not too much has changed from last week.

“She’s the same as before,” Glance said. “It’s just going to be a battle — it’s going to be an ongoing battle. She’s taking her chemo treatments.”

For Yow, this is the third time she has been diagnosed with cancer — 19 years ago, two seasons ago and then last week. While she has undergone treatment throughout the past two years to help with the cancer, her doctors noticed a progression in the disease, according to the press release.

Glance said Yow is currently undergoing chemotherapy.

“It’s just an unknown what will happen — how well she’ll respond to the chemo,” Glance said. “Some people have a really tough time. We’re just going to have to wait and see how she does respond.”

While Reaves acknowledged her and other team members are missing Yow, she said she didn’t know when she would hear from her coach again.

“I’m not sure,” Reaves said. “They haven’t said anything to us about it.”