UConn’s Geno Auriemma reveals what he said to Dawn Staley at the end of Final Four

In a tense ending to Friday night’s women’s Final Four clash, No. 1 overall seed UConn Huskies (38-1) fell 62-48 to No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks (36-3) at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. The defeat ended UConn’s 54-game winning streak and came in a rematch of last season’s national championship game, which the Huskies had won.

The final seconds of the game saw Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma approach Gamecocks’ Dawn Staley for a postgame handshake, but the interaction escalated into a verbal altercation. Assistant coaches and officials had to step in to separate the two.

In her postgame interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, Staley expressed confusion about Auriemma’s reaction, confessing that the cause of the confrontation was a mystery to her.

When asked about the incident, Auriemma tried to brush it off, telling reporters, “I said what I had to say.” Upon follow-up, he clarified that he had been waiting for a pregame handshake with Staley, which never happened.

In a subsequent question about his comments to Staley, Auriemma chose not to elaborate, though he acknowledged that they evidently didn’t sit well with her.

“Why would I say it?” Auriemma responded. “I said what I said, and obviously, she didn’t like it. I just told the truth.”

"I said what I said and obviously [Dawn Staley] didn't like it. I just told the truth."

– UConn head coach Geno Auriemma

(via @SNYUConn)pic.twitter.com/wp05jI1dx3

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 4, 2026

The controversy came after an earlier on-court interview with Rowe in which Auriemma criticized the officiating. He flagged a third-quarter disparity where UConn committed six fouls while South Carolina had none called and conveyed his annoyance over Huskies star Sarah Strong having to change her ripped jersey after the officials reportedly did not notice the damage.

“Their coach rants and raves on the sideline, and calls the referees some names you don’t want to hear,” Auriemma also remarked.

On the court, the Gamecocks overcame a two-point halftime deficit by outscoring UConn 21-14 in the third quarter and holding the Huskies scoreless for more than four minutes late in the fourth. Ta’Niya Latson led South Carolina with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Agot Makeer scored 14 points off the bench.

UConn shot poorly from the field, finishing at 31%, with Strong contributing 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Huskies committed 16 fouls compared to the Gamecocks seven.

With the win, South Carolina advances to face UCLA in the national championship game on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Auriemma and UConn, meanwhile, will watch from home after a stellar season that ended in disappointment.

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