The 2026-2027 season began with a 73-53 victory for the UCLA Bruins as the defending champions knocked off Lehigh to kick off the new campaign. It wasn't the flashiest win for a program coming off of a record-setting season but Cori Close’s team is 1-0.

It was a 20-point win for the No. 11 team in the country but the team felt more beatable after two years of near perfection. Close didn’t walk away from Monday’s game too impressed either.

“We’ve got a long way to go as a basketball team. I didn’t think we came out and executed our scout to the level that we needed to but I also know that this team has a real coachable spirit so I’m going to relentlessly teach,” Close said in the postgame press conference. “We’ll get better game-by-game.”

Not quite a ringing endorsement after a 20-point win but the win didn’t feel that comfortable. The game was tied at the end of the first quarter before the Bruins held a five-point lead at halftime before UCLA ultimately gained some separation after halftime.

“This group doesn’t have one person that’s going to put them on their back and just sort of carry the load and make up for anything. You can’t have empty possessions with focus or concentration,” Close said. “It really concerns me when we prep the way we did, we very rarely have three days to prep, and we had three days to prep for this game. First half, did not execute that at all.” 

It’s just one game but it could be a very different season for the Bruins. Close may have realized that already but Monday's win felt a bit tougher than expected.