South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley says it is time to move past her Final Four skirmish with UConn coach Geno Auriemma that became the talk of the tournament.
Staley released a statement on South Carolina’s X account on Tuesday in which she expressed her respect for Auriemma and said the two have spoken since South Carolina’s 62-48 victory on Friday night. The season ended with UCLA’s runaway 79-51 win over South Carolina in Sunday’s national championship game.
“With the college women’s basketball season behind us, it’s time to move forward and close the chapter on how our semifinal game with UConn ended,” Staley wrote in her statement. “I spoke with Geno and I want to be clear — I have a great deal of respect for him and what he’s meant to the game. One moment doesn’t define a career and it doesn’t change the impact he’s had on growing women’s basketball.
“The standard at UConn is what it is because of him, and that’s something this game has benefited from. So I’m asking everyone to turn the page. Let’s refocus on what matters most, continuing to elevate our game, creating opportunities and pushing it forward. That’s always been my mission, and it’s not changing.”
Staley’s statement followed Auriemma’s apology on Saturday after he went over to Staley in the final seconds of Friday night’s game and appeared to chastise her. Coaches from both teams had to separate them. When the game finally ended, Auriemma walked off the court to the locker room without going back to shake hands with anyone from South Carolina.
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“There’s no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina,” Auriemma said in his statement on Saturday.
“It’s unlike what I do and what our standard is here at Connecticut. 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.”
Auriemma released an additional statement through UConn’s social media on Tuesday, in conjunction with Staley’s.
“This morning, Dawn Staley and I spoke about our interaction after the game last Friday. I apologized to Dawn, her staff and her team. I’ve lost more more games in the Final Four than any coach in history. But Friday I lost something more important. I lost myself,” Auriemma began. “Those who know me know I have nothing but respect and admiration for the game and the coaches who coach it. Dawn and her team deserved to win, and they deserved better from me.
“Women’s basketball deserved better. My university, my athletes, my former players and our fans deserved better,” Auriemma continued. “Dawn and I have agreed to move on, and we hope the focus will shift back to the growth in women’s basketball. The game deserves it.”
The Final Four matchup was the lone contest between Auriemma’s Huskies and Staley’s Gamecocks in 2025-2026, snapping a streak that dated back to 2014-2015. UConn and South Carolina are scheduled to meet again in the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 seasons in neutral-site competition, however, first at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut on Nov. 24 as part of the 2026 Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase, and then a year later in Charlotte, NC for the Ally Tipoff.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
