The South Carolina Women’s Basketball Team, Gamecocks delivered a masterful statement win Friday night, defeating the University of Connecticut Huskies 62-48 to advance to their third straight national championship game.
Led by their coach, Dawn Staley, South Carolina avenged last year’s loss to UConn in the National Championship game with a dominant defensive performance, holding UConn to just 31 percent shooting and under 50 points. Huskies stars Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd were limited to a combined 20 points on 7-for-31 shooting.
“It was a performance that makes you super proud,” Staley said after the game.
The Gamecocks now face the UCLA Bruins in Sunday’s title game, aiming for their fourth championship. A win would place Staley alongside legends like Geno Auriemma, Pat Summitt, and Kim Mulkey in NCAA women basketball championship history.
Tensions flared late as Auriemma and Staley exchanged words following a dispute allegedly about a pregame meeting handshake. Auriemma later said the two “don’t have a relationship,” calling them rivals. Auriemma fueled the encounter, approaching Staley in the closing moments with words that first startled the Gamecocks coach and later elicited a heightened response. She was clearly offended and not accepting Auriemma’s admonishment and critic.
In the post-game presser, Auriemma claims Coach Staley didn’t meet him at mid-court to gather and shake hands in what he described as a pre-game ritual. NCAA posted a picture on social media before the game showing Staley shaking hands with him and the entire coaching staff, but not necessarily meeting him in a one-on-one with just the two coaches. In addition, Auriemma claims that one of his players’ jerseys was torn during competition by what he described as the Gamecocks’ aggressive play, only for his own player, Sarah Strong, who is this year’s NCAA national player of the year, to reveal that it was not torn by the opposing team but rather torn “by mistake” by her.
Staley declined to engage, saying the focus should remain on her team’s accomplishment. South Carolina’s defense and composure ultimately defined the night, putting them one win away from history. As the fallout continues, one thing is clear: Geno Auriemma should issue a public apology to Dawn Staley for his antics in the closing moments.
Viewing the moment is L. Londell McMillan, a longtime women’s basketball advocate and prominent entertainment and sports lawyer, who represented Staley and Lisa Leslie during the 1996 Olympics. McMillan, also intricate in the development of the WNBA, calls for a public apology.
“First, let me congratulate the young ladies of the University of South Carolina Women’s Basketball and their coaches,” McMillan offers. “It was a very impressive display of defense and execution in your impressive defeat of the then-unbeaten University of Connecticut. The job is not done yet and you have one more game, the NCAA National Championship on Monday. I regret that I cannot attend this year, yet I wish you all, and my dear friend for over 30 years, coach Dawn Staley, my very best.”
He added, “Many were appalled and offended to see Geno Auriemma confront Dawn Staley towards the end of the game with such fury and vitriol, evidencing the poorest act of sportsmanship ever seen on national television. As a celebrated basketball coach with the most NCAA championships, he embarrassed himself, his team, and the university. He must account and show leadership.
“Dawn is a treasured woman of faith and integrity who is highly favored. Dawn is a loyal ambassador and fierce competitor of the game with a track record unmatched as a Hall of Fame player and coach. She must not be disrespected. For the betterment of the game, we are calling on the NCAA, the University of Connecticut, and basketball fans all across America to demand that Geno Auriemma issue a formal public apology and oath to never conduct himself in such a belligerent and uncontrollable manner again. Geno must lead by example in this moment and show his team a valuable lesson in accountability, humility and accepting defeat just as Dawn exhibited with grace last year when her team lost to Uconn. That is one of the virtues and codes of sports.”
Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks will close the season on Sunday when they face the fellow number one-seeded UCLA Bruins in the National Title Game on ABC.
Update: Geno Auriemma offered an apology online: