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In the final seconds of No. 1 South Carolina\u2019s 62-48 upset over No. 1 Connecticut, Huskies coach Geno Auriemma and Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley traded words at midcourt and had to be separated. <\/p>\n
\u201cI have no idea,\u201d Staley said to ESPN\u2019s Holly Rowe after the game when asked what angered Auriemma. \u201cBut [I\u2019ll] let you know this: I\u2019m of integrity. I\u2019m of integrity. So if I did something wrong to Geno, I had no idea what I did. I guess he thought I didn\u2019t shake his hand at the beginning of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Staley added: \u201cI didn\u2019t know, I went down there pregame, shook everybody on his staff\u2019s hand, I don\u2019t know what he came with after the game. But hey, sometimes things get heated, we move on.\u201d<\/p>\n\nESPN’s broadcast showed footage of Staley appearing to shake Auriemma\u2019s hand before the game, though it was brief.<\/p>\n
When asked about the exchange postgame, Auriemma said it was customary for coaches to meet at halfcourt prior to the game. A separate clip from the broadcast showed Auriemma waiting for Staley at a different time before the game. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe protocol is, before the game, you meet at halfcourt,” Auriemma said. “The two coaches meet at halfcourt and they shake hands. They announce it on the loud speaker. I waited there for like three minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cI said what I said, and obviously she didn\u2019t like it. I just told the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Auriemma was not only fired up after the game. During an interview with Rowe before the fourth quarter, he ripped the game\u2019s officiating, declaring the free-throw disparity \u201cridiculous.\u201d He also implied that Staley had used inappropriate language with the referees but wasn\u2019t punished for it. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere were 6 fouls called that quarter. All of \u2018em against us,\u201d Auriemma said before the fourth. \u201cThis is ridiculous. Their coach rants and raves on the sideline, and calls the referees some names you don\u2019t want to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n
Connecticut\u2019s loss was the program\u2019s first since February 2025. The Huskies entered the game on a 54-game winning streak. Connecticut won last year\u2019s national championship against Staley and South Carolina.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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