Not only did the UCLA Bruins win their first-ever Big Ten conference game on Sunday over the Washington Huskies, head coach Cori Close tied Billie Moore for the most wins in program history at 296.
“It means I hired really great people to surround me,” Close in the postgame press conference on what tying Moore means to her. “That’s the only thing it means to me. Not only just assistant coaches, video teams, managers, support staff, administration, that just means I have great people surrounding me.”
Moore was head coach of the Bruins from 1977-1993, meaning Close beat her record in three less years. Close is now 296-140 while the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Moore went 296-181 with UCLA.
“The No.1 thing for me is that none of this has to do with me, this has to do with creating a transformational experience for the young women in our program,” Close said. “I’m thankful just because it allows me to say thank you to the people that have been so loyal and blow wind into our sails.”
Close will have a chance on the road next Saturday for the record on the road against Long Beach State, with the Bruins looking to push their season-opening winning streak to ten games against the Beach.