PHOENIX — UConn coach Geno Auriemma issued a statement to apologize for his behavior at the end of the Huskies loss to South Carolina on Friday, April 3 in the Final Four.
UConn was riding a 54-game winning streak heading into the game and looking for a second consecutive championship but everything was overshadowed by an end-of-game exchange between Auriemma and Dawn Staley as they went to shake hands just before the final buzzer. The pair had a heated conversation before being separated by assistant coaches. Auriemma went back the locker room without shaking Staley or her team's hands.
"There’s no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina. 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."
South Carolina did not have much to say about the confrontation in her press availability on April 4.
"No distractions at this time. Concentrating on winning a national championship. That's it," Staley said.
