PHOENIX — As the final seconds ticked away in Friday’s national semifinal and UConn’s unbeaten season ended with a 62-48 loss to South Carolina, Geno Auriemma walked down the sideline and approached Dawn Staley for a postgame handshake. The encounter quickly escalated: Auriemma pointed toward the floor and unleashed an angry string of words, and Staley appeared stunned before the two exchanged sharp words and had to be separated by staff.
After Auriemma shook hands with several South Carolina assistants, Staley returned to the confrontation, shouting and stepping toward the UConn coach until her staff formed a protective circle at the scorer’s table. She then directed more shouts toward the UConn bench before walking back to her sideline. Staley was heard saying twice, “I will beat Geno’s ass.”
Afterward, Auriemma described his relationship with Staley as more rival than friend. “Nah, not really,” he said when asked if they had a relationship, adding that they do not have a lot in common.
Tensions had been visible earlier in the game. In a live interview before the fourth quarter with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, Auriemma criticized officiating, complaining that South Carolina drew few fouls and accusing Staley of “ranting and raving” at officials. UConn was assessed 17 fouls in the game compared with South Carolina’s eight.
Auriemma also pointed to a specific incident in the third quarter when UConn’s Sarah Strong had to change into a No. 55 jersey after her No. 21 was torn. He questioned why no foul was called on the play, saying the replay angles were unclear and stressing he wanted to avoid any perceived double standard in how coaches are treated on the sidelines.
“I’m of the opinion that if I ever talk to an official like that, I would get tossed,” Auriemma said, adding that his frustration was about consistency in enforcement. He defended his on-air comments and said he had no regrets about speaking up.
Staley declined to comment directly about the handshake exchange or Auriemma’s accusations at South Carolina’s postgame news conference. “You can ask Geno the question,” she said. “He’s the one that initiated the conversation. I don’t know what happened there to dampen what we were able to accomplish today.”
Auriemma also said there was tension before the game over the customary pregame handshake, saying he waited about three minutes at midcourt for Staley. He reiterated that unless someone was on the UConn sideline, they might not understand everything that happened during the game.
Despite his complaints about officiating and the postgame confrontation, Auriemma said he did not object to the game’s physicality, noting it goes both ways and that UConn simply “weren’t aggressive enough on the offensive end to match.” He also acknowledged Staley’s role in building South Carolina into a modern powerhouse, calling the program a three-time national champion and crediting Staley with tremendous success.
Auriemma noted he has “a tremendous amount of respect” for Staley, who once served as his assistant on the U.S. Olympic team in Rio in 2016, even as the rivalry between the programs showed clear signs of strain after Friday’s game.
