Geno Auriemma apologizes for dustup with Dawn Staley after Final Four loss to South Carolina

BasketballGeno Auriemma apologizes for dustup with Dawn Staley after Final Four loss to South CarolinaUconn Huskie's coach Auriemma and South Carolina Gamecocks coach Staley had to be separated at the end of a Final Four classic on Friday.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks and head coach Geno Auriemma of the UConn Huskies exchange words during the fourth quarter in the Final Four of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament on Friday in Phoenix, Ariz.Christian Petersen / Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 4, 2026, 3:41 PM EDTBy Matt Lavietes and Joe KottkeMaybe Geno just needed a minute.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Uconn Huskie's head coach Geno Auriemma apologized on Saturday after a heated exchange with South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley on Friday. The incident occurred in the final seconds of No. 1 South Carolina’s 62-48 upset over No. 1 Connecticut at midcourt. Auriemma and Staley, two of the biggest names in women's college hoops, had to be separated at the end of the Final Four classic. In a statement Auriemma said that "there’s no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. 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," he wrote. "I’ve had a great relationship with their staff, and I sincerely want to apologize to them.”A representative for the South Carolina Gamecocks did not immediately return a request for comment.When asked after the game what angered Auriemma, Staley told ESPN’s Holly Rowe on Friday: "I have no idea.""But [I’ll] let you know this: I’m of integrity. I’m of integrity. So if I did something wrong to Geno, I had no idea what I did," she said. "I guess he thought I didn’t shake his hand at the beginning of the game."Staley added: “I didn’t know, I went down t...