Auriemma apologizes to South Carolina for exchange with Staley

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma issued an apology for his heated exchange with South Carolina counterpart Dawn Staley at the end of their Final Four matchup Friday.

"There's no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina," the longtime Huskies coach said Saturday in a statement. "It's unlike what I do and what our standard is here at Connecticut.

"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."

As the clock ticked down on the Gamecocks' 62-48 win, the two met near midcourt to exchange a handshake. That's when Auriemma said something that set off Staley, prompting her assistants and the referees to step in.

Auriemma said postgame that his issue with Staley stemmed from the South Carolina icon stranding him as he waited for a routine pregame handshake.

"The protocol is, before the game, you meet at half court," he told The Athletic's Jerry Brewer. "I waited there for like three minutes."

Staley, who will try to win her fourth national championship in Sunday's showdown against UCLA, deferred questions about the incident to Auriemma.

"He's the one that initiated the conversation," Staley said. "I don't want what happened there to dampen what we were able to accomplish."