Did Geno Auriemma apologize to Dawn Staley? What happened

The Women's Final Four drew headlines this weekend after a rift between coaches took a heated turn. At the end of a 62-48 win for the South Carolina Gamecocks on April 3, UConn coach Geno Auriemma had some opinions about the game's officials and opponent Dawn Staley . Here's what happened.

What happened between Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley? The two Final Four coaches could be seen in a shouting match on the sidelines April 3, just after sharing a brief handshake and Auriemma making some sort of comment to the Gamecocks coach, Philadelphia basketball legend Dawn Staley, caught by ESPN. While it's unclear exactly what was said to prompt the exchange, which had to be broken up by assistant coaches and officials, Auriemma had criticized the refs and Staley in a sideline interview with ESPN's Holly Rowe.

Things got HEATED at the end of South Carolina-UConn as Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma exchanged words 😮 pic. twitter. com/e0LCmWX9zy — ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 4, 2026 Postgame, Auriemma admitted that he had felt disrespected pregame, after he said he waited at center court to shake hands.

“For 41 years I’ve been coaching, 25 Final Fours and before the game, the protocol is you meet at halfcourt," Auriemma said. "Anybody ever see that before? Two coaches meet at halfcourt and shake hands.