Dawn Staley deflects Auriemma drama to stay focused on UCLA title

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley was disappointed with the way the Gamecocks’ season ended Sunday afternoon in Phoenix, a 79-51 loss to the UCLA Bruins in the national championship game.

During her postgame interview, Staley was asked about what happened in the Gamecocks’ previous Final Four game against UConn, where she and head coach Geno Auriemma had a tense exchange after South Carolina advanced to the title game for the third straight year.

Rather than further expressing his thoughts, Staley had an elegant response.

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“I don’t want to — it’s UCLA day, right? Let’s keep it UCLA, they win the national championship,” Staley told reporters via The Athletic. “…We’re not going to ruin UCLA’s day with this.”

Before that national title contest, Staley was spotted having a cordial experience greeting UCLA Bruins head coach Cori Close — a much different experience than how Friday night ended with Auriemma.

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After the Gamecocks defeated the Huskies, Staley and Auriemma went viral with their interaction at midfield, where Auriemma appeared to enrage Staley before storming off.

This time, Staley and Close hugged and shared a few words. During the exchange, Staley “then looked around and said ‘see??’ “, according to NBC Sports.

Staley was showing a bit of sarcasm, noting that Auriemma didn’t shake his hand before the start of the Final Four between the two teams Friday night.

After the Gamecocks’ victory over the Huskies, Staley was asked what exactly happened with Auriemma, although she tried to explain her desire to help her team advance to the national title game. If they won, it would have been the fourth national championship in the last 10 years for South Carolina.

Head coach Cori Close of the UCLA Bruins looks on during the first quarter against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona on April 5, 2026. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

“For me, no distractions right now. I’m focused on winning a national championship, that’s all,” Staley said at the time. “It’s a little discouraging. It’s sport, sometimes things like this happen. Keep focusing on my team and my ability to progress in this tournament and hopefully win another national championship.”

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Auriemma later released a statement, apologizing for his behavior following the loss.

“There is no excuse for the way I handled the end of the South Carolina game. It’s unlike what I do and our level here at Connecticut,” the Hall of Fame coach said in a statement Saturday. “I want to apologize to the South Carolina staff and team. My reaction was inappropriate. The story should be how well South Carolina played, and I don’t want my actions to take away from that. I have had a great relationship with their staff and I sincerely want to apologize to them.”

Staley added that she had “no idea” why Auriemma was angry after the match, although she guessed he may have been upset about the lack of a pre-match handshake on his side. Regardless, 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 in Phoenix, Arizona on April 4, 2026. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

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“I don’t know what he brought after the game, but sometimes things get heated. We move on,” she said.

For UCLA, it was the first time the women’s basketball program won the national title, as emotional celebration followed the game in Phoenix.