UConn’s Geno Auriemma apologizes for heated exchange with Dawn Stanley
UConn coach Geno Auriemma has issued an apology following a heated on-court exchange with South Carolina 's Dawn Staley after the Huskies' defeat in the women's Final Four . The incident occurred in the final seconds of South Carolina’s dominant 62-48 victory on Friday night, where a visibly upset Auriemma approached Staley, appearing to chastise her. Coaches from both teams intervened to separate them, and Auriemma subsequently bypassed the traditional post-game handshakes, heading directly to the locker room.
The Hall of Fame coach addressed his actions in a statement released Saturday. Auriemma had explained after the loss that the confrontation stemmed from the absence of a pregame handshake between the coaches (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
) "There’s no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina. It’s unlike what I do and what our standard is here at Connecticut ," Auriemma stated.
"I want to apologize to the staff and the team at South Carolina. It was uncalled for in how I reacted. The story should be how well South Carolina played, and I don’t want my actions to detract from that.
I’ve had a great relationship with their staff, and I sincerely want to apologize to them. " Staley, whose team advanced to the title game against UCLA , initially downplayed the incident, stating her focus was elsewhere. "For me, no distractions at this time.