UConn head coach Geno Auriemma was involved in a heated confrontation with South Carolina counterpart Dawn Staley in the closing seconds of Friday's women's Final Four matchup in Phoenix. Auriemma had to be physically pulled away from Staley by officials and assistants after a tense verbal exchange during a stoppage with less than a second remaining in UConn's 62-48 loss.
The incident occurred after Auriemma approached Staley for a postgame handshake. Words were exchanged, visibly upsetting Staley and leading to the intervention. "I have no idea [what happened]," Staley said postgame on ESPN. "I'm of integrity... I guess he thought I didn't shake his hand at the beginning of the game." Video replay confirmed a pregame handshake did occur.
Auriemma, when asked about the confrontation, stated, "I said what I said. And, obviously, she didn't like it. I just told the truth." He also claimed he waited "for like three minutes" to shake hands a second time pregame.
The sideline clash followed Auriemma's fiery in-game interview with ESPN before the fourth quarter, where he criticized both the officiating and Staley's conduct. "Their coach rants and raves on the sideline and calls the referees some names that you don't want to hear," Auriemma said during the broadcast, referencing a third quarter where South Carolina drew six fouls to UConn's zero.
Top-seeded UConn, which entered the game with a perfect 38-0 record, shot just 31% from the field. South Carolina controlled the second half to advance to the national championship game against UCLA.