Two of girls’s basketball’s greatest names had a heated change within the waning moments of a Last 4 traditional on Friday.
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Within the remaining seconds of No. 1 South Carolina’s 62-48 upset over No. 1 Connecticut, Huskies coach Geno Auriemma and Gamecocks coach Daybreak Staley traded phrases at midcourt and needed to be separated.
“I don’t know,” Staley stated to ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the sport when requested what angered Auriemma. “However [I’ll] let you already know this: I’m of integrity. I’m of integrity. So if I did one thing unsuitable to Geno, I had no concept what I did. I suppose he thought I didn’t shake his hand at the start of the sport.”
Staley added: “I didn’t know, I went down there pregame, shook all people on his workers’s hand, I don’t know what he got here with after the sport. However hey, generally issues get heated, we transfer on.”
ESPN’s broadcast confirmed footage of Staley showing to shake Auriemma’s hand earlier than the sport, although it was transient.
When requested concerning the change postgame, Auriemma stated it was customary for coaches to fulfill at halfcourt previous to the sport. A separate clip from the printed confirmed Auriemma ready for Staley at a distinct time earlier than the sport.
“The protocol is, earlier than the sport, you meet at halfcourt,” Auriemma stated. “The 2 coaches meet at halfcourt they usually shake arms. They announce it on the loud speaker. I waited there for like three minutes.”
He added: “I stated what I stated, and clearly she didn’t prefer it. I simply informed the reality.”
Auriemma was not solely fired up after the sport. Throughout an interview with Rowe earlier than the fourth quarter, he ripped the sport’s officiating, declaring the free-throw disparity “ridiculous.” He additionally implied that Staley had used inappropriate language with the referees however wasn’t punished for it.
“There have been 6 fouls referred to as that quarter. All of ‘em towards us,” Auriemma stated earlier than the fourth. “That is ridiculous. Their coach rants and raves on the sideline, and calls the referees some names you don’t wish to hear.”
Connecticut’s loss was this system’s first since February 2025. The Huskies entered the sport on a 54-game profitable streak. Connecticut gained final 12 months’s nationwide championship towards Staley and South Carolina.
