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Two of women’s basketball’s biggest names had a heated exchange in the waning moments of a Final Four classic on Friday.
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In the final seconds of No. 1 South Carolina’s 62-48 upset over No. 1 Connecticut, Huskies coach Geno Auriemma and Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley traded words at midcourt and had to be separated.
“I have no idea,” Staley said to ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the game when asked what angered Auriemma. “But [I’ll] let you know this: I’m of integrity. I’m of integrity. So if I did something wrong to Geno, I had no idea what I did. I guess he thought I didn’t shake his hand at the beginning of the game.”
Staley added: “I didn’t know, I went down there pregame, shook everybody on his staff’s hand, I don’t know what he came with after the game. But hey, sometimes things get heated, we move on.”
ESPN’s broadcast showed footage of Staley appearing to shake Auriemma’s hand before the game, though it was brief.
When asked about the exchange postgame, Auriemma said it was customary for coaches to meet at halfcourt prior to the game. A separate clip from the broadcast showed Auriemma waiting for Staley at a different time before the game.
“The protocol is, before the game, you meet at halfcourt,” Auriemma said. “The two coaches meet at halfcourt and they shake hands. They announce it on the loud speaker. I waited there for like three minutes.”
He added: “I said what I said, and obviously she didn’t like it. I just told the truth.”
Auriemma was not only fired up after the game. During an interview with Rowe before the fourth quarter, he ripped the game’s officiating, declaring the free-throw disparity “ridiculous.” He also implied that Staley had used inappropriate language with the referees but wasn’t punished for it.
“There were 6 fouls called that quarter. All of ‘em against us,” Auriemma said before the fourth. “This is ridiculous. Their coach rants and raves on the sideline, and calls the referees some names you don’t want to hear.”
Connecticut’s loss was the program’s first since February 2025. The Huskies entered the game on a 54-game winning streak. Connecticut won last year’s national championship against Staley and South Carolina.
