Dawn Staley deflects Auriemma drama to keep focus on UCLA’s title
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South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley was disappointed that the Gamecocks’ season ended Sunday afternoon in Phoenix, with a 79-51 loss to the UCLA Bruins in the national championship game.
During his postgame interview, Staley was asked about what happened in the Gamecocks’ previous Final Four matchup against UConn; he and head coach Geno Auriemma had a tense argument after South Carolina advanced to its third straight championship game.
Instead of summarizing his thoughts further, Staley offered an elegant response.
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South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley watches the first half of the NCAA women’s basketball championship game against the UCLA Bruins at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 5, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos)
“I don’t want it, it’s UCLA’s day, right? Let’s keep UCLA winning the national championship,” Staley told reporters. Athletic. “… We’re not going to ruin UCLA’s day with this.”
Before this national championship contest, Staley was seen having a heartfelt experience greeting UCLA Bruins head coach Cori Close; This was a much different experience than how Friday night ended with Auriemma.
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After the Gamecocks beat the Huskies, Staley and Auriemma went viral for their interactions at midfield, with Auriemma appearing to annoy Staley before leaving.
This time, Staley and Close hugged and shared a few words. During the exchange, Staley said, “afterwards I was like, ‘See??’ He looked around as if to say ” According to NBC Sports.
Staley was a bit sarcastic, noting that Auriemma didn’t shake his hand before the start of the Final Four between the two teams on Friday night.
Following the Gamecocks’ victory over the Huskies, Staley was asked exactly what happened to Auriemma, but he tried to explain that he was focused on helping his team lock up the national championship game. Had they won, it would have been South Carolina’s fourth national championship in the last 10 years.
UCLA Bruins head coach Cori Close watches the first quarter against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the NCAA women’s national basketball championship at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 5, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
“There are no distractions for me right now. I’m focused on winning the national championship, that’s it,” Staley said at the time. “It’s a little discouraging. It’s a sport, things like this happen sometimes. Stay focused on my team and my ability to advance in this tournament and hopefully win another national championship.”
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Auriemma later issued a statement apologizing for his behavior after the defeat.
“There are no excuses for how I handled the end of the game against South Carolina. It was different from what I did and different from our standards at Connecticut,” the Hall of Fame coach said Saturday. “I want to apologize to the staff and team at South Carolina. It was unwarranted in terms of my response. The story should be about how well South Carolina played, and I don’t want my actions to overshadow that. I have a great relationship with the team and I want to sincerely apologize to them.”
Staley added that he had “no idea” why Auriemma was angry after the game, but speculated that perhaps he was annoyed on his part that he didn’t shake hands before the game. Either way, Staley was moving forward.
UCLA Bruins head coach Cori Close shakes hands with South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley after defeating South Carolina 79-51 in the NCAA women’s championship game at the Mortgage Matchup Center on April 4, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times)
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“I don’t know what he came up with after the game, but sometimes things get heated. We move on,” he said.
As emotional celebrations continued following the game in Phoenix, for UCLA, this was the first time the women’s basketball program had won the national championship.
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