Dawn Staley gives classy answer after Geno Auriemma question following national title loss: 'It's UCLA's day'

South Carolina caput manager Dawn Staley was disappointed however the Gamecocks’ play ended connected Sunday day successful Phoenix, a 79-51 nonaccomplishment to the UCLA Bruins successful the nationalist title game.

During her post-game interview, Staley was asked astir what happened successful the Gamecocks’ anterior Final Four matchup against UConn, wherever she and caput manager Geno Auriemma had a tense speech aft South Carolina precocious to the rubric crippled for the 3rd twelvemonth successful a row.

Rather than hash retired much of her thoughts, Staley had a classy response.

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Head manager Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks watches during the archetypal fractional of the NCAA women's hoops title crippled against the UCLA Bruins astatine Mortgage Matchup Center successful Phoenix, Ariz., connected April 5, 2026. (Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos)

"I don’t privation – this is UCLA’s day, right? Let’s support it UCLA, them winning the nationalist championship," Staley told reporters, via The Athletic. "… We’re not going to damper UCLA’s time with it."

Before this nationalist rubric contest, Staley was spotted having a cordial acquisition greeting UCLA Bruins caput manager Cori Close -- a overmuch antithetic acquisition than however Friday nighttime ended with Auriemma.

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After the Gamecocks defeated the Huskies, Staley and Auriemma went viral with their enactment astatine midcourt, wherever Auriemma appeared to enrage Staley earlier walking off.

This time, Staley and Close hugged and shared a fewer words. During the exchange, Staley "looked astir afterward like, ‘see??’", per NBC Sports.

Staley was showing a spot of sarcasm, arsenic she noted Auriemma didn’t shingle her manus earlier the Final Four tipped disconnected betwixt the 2 teams connected Friday night.

After the Gamecocks’ triumph implicit the Huskies, Staley was asked what precisely happened with Auriemma, though she tried to explicate her absorption successful helping her squad fastener successful for the nationalist rubric game. If they won, it would’ve been the 4th nationalist title successful the past 10 years for South Carolina.

Head manager Cori Close of the UCLA Bruins watches during the archetypal 4th against the South Carolina Gamecocks successful the NCAA women's hoops nationalist title astatine Mortgage Matchup Center successful Phoenix, Ariz., connected April 5, 2026. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

"For me, nary distractions astatine this time. I'm concentrating connected winning a nationalist championship, that’s it," Staley said astatine the time. "That’s a small disheartening. This is sports, sometimes things similar this happen. Continue to absorption connected my squad and quality to beforehand successful this tourney and hopefully triumph different nationalist championship."

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Auriemma aboriginal released a statement, apologizing for his behaviour aft the loss.

"There’s nary excuse for however I handled the extremity of the crippled vs. South Carolina. It’s dissimilar what I bash and what our modular is here at Connecticut," the Hall of Fame manager said successful a connection connected Saturday. "I privation to apologize to the unit and the squad astatine South Carolina. It was uncalled for successful however I reacted. The communicative should beryllium however good South Carolina played, and I don’t privation my actions to detract from that. I’ve had a large narration with their staff, and I sincerely privation to apologize to them."

Staley added she had "no idea" wherefore Auriemma was aggravated aft the game, though she guessed possibly helium was ticked disconnected by the deficiency of handshake earlier the crippled connected his ain end. Either way, Staley was moving forward.

UCLA Bruins caput manager Cori Close shakes hands with South Carolina Gamecocks caput manager Dawn Staley aft defeating South Carolina 79-51 successful the NCAA women's title crippled astatine Mortgage Matchup Center successful Phoenix, Ariz., connected April 4, 2026. (Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times)

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"I don’t cognize what helium came with aft the game, but, hey, sometimes things get heated. We determination on," she said.

For UCLA, it was the archetypal clip the women’s hoops programme has won the nationalist title, arsenic their affectional solemnisation ensued pursuing the crippled successful Phoenix.

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