UConn Coach Geno Auriemma apologizes to South Carolina team for emotional outburst

The women’s basketball coaches exchanged verbal blows after South Carolina’s victory over UConn last night.

Coach Geno Auriemma is apologizing after an explosive moment with Dawn Staley following last night’s Final Four matchup went viral.

Reflecting upon his actions, Auriemma said in a statement posted online that “there’s no excuse” for how he handled the end of the women’s basketball game, in which UConn lost to South Carolina 62-48, and directed his apology toward “the staff and team at South Carolina.” He did not mention Staley by name in the statement.

“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,” he said in the statement. “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.”

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Basketball fans were shocked when Auriemma walked up to Staley when there was .1 second left on the clock, not for a postgame handshake, but to tell her off. This led to a heated exchange between the two, and both coaches had to be separated, and Auriemma was brought back to his respective area of the sideline. Staley is caught on film after the argument, saying she will “beat Geno’s a–.”

After the game ended, Staley told ESPN that she “had no idea” why Auriemma approached her so angrily, and that he may have been upset that she didn’t shake his hand before tip-off.

“I went down there pregame, shook everybody on his staff’s hand,” Staley said. “I don’t know what he came with after the game, but hey, sometimes things get heated. We move on.”

Auriemma confirmed that the handshake was an issue for him in his interview with ESPN. He also complained that the game was called unfairly by the referees.