There did not seem to be much love lost in Friday’s women’s Final Four, particularly between UConn and South Carolina’s coaches.
After the Gamecocks upset UConn, 62-48, Huskies coach Geno Auriemma and South Carolina bench boss Dawn Staley exchanged words and eventually had to be separated in a tense postgame scene.
The coaches met at center court along the sidelines to shake hands when the two began jawing at one another, and as things appeared to escalate in temperate, the game officials got in between the two before things got worse.
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman’s NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. AP As things settled, it did not appear as if Auriemma ended up shaking hands with the South Carolina’s victorious players.
At the outset of the fourth quarter, Auriemma took an interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe and called out the referees for not calling fouls against South Carolina.
“Well, there was six fouls called that quarter — all of them against us,” Auriemma said of not getting calls against South Carolina. “And they’ve been beating the s–t out of our guys down there the entire game. I’m not making excuses, we haven’t been able to make a shot. But this is ridiculous.”
UConn did not take a single foul shot in the third quarter.
UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma and South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley react in the second half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the women’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center. Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images For the game, South Carolina went 18-for-22 from the foul line while UConn attempted just six foul shots.
Now, South Carolina will play for the championship while UConn, which came into the game 38-0, will go home with one giant loss.
