It took about two weeks longer than expected, but it finally happened.

With tonight’s win over Michigan State, Iowa Women’s Head Coach Lisa Bluder reached the 800-career win milestone. With the win, Lisa Bluder joins 14 other D1 coaches that have reached the 800-win mark.

Leading up to the Drake game, Lisa Bluder talked about potentially winning her 800th game vs her former school saying, “It almost makes it kind of weird to be quite honest. I spent ten years there. That’s a decade of your life…I kind of wish it was against someone else to be real honest.”

As everyone knows, that game did not happen and neither did the trip to Cancun, but Bluder was able to get the landmark win at home in front of the home crowd today.

“It is special being on your home court obviously and just sharing it your family and these guys (players)…You’re just grateful. You’re thankful that you get to do this,” said Bluder.

McKenna Warnock shared her thoughts on her head coach saying, “Coach Bluder is an amazing coach…all the coaches and everyone else knows that Coach Bluder is an even better person.”

Lisa Bluder started her head coaching career fresh out of college at St Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa where she spent six seasons before moving across the state to coach at Drake University. She spent ten years with the Bulldogs guiding them to five postseason appearances in her last six seasons.

Bluder took over the head coaching job at Iowa in 2000 and has been the leader ever since, leading Iowa to 19 postseason appearances. She has racked up 441 wins while at the helm, with assistants Jan Jensen and Jenni Fitzgerald along side her on staff since her days at Drake.

“Jan, Jenni, Abby (Stamp). I mean they’ve been around for a long time. Just to be able to share all these memories with them and your family. How much they give up to be a part of it, so I was really glad that my family could be here today.”

What about 900 or 1000 wins in the future? Coach Bluder says that there are too many factors that go into deciding if those milestones are possible, but with the win tonight she has reached another coaching milestone that further cements her as one of the greatest coaches in women’s basketball history.