Geno Auriemma Says 'I Lost Myself' in Heated Dawn Staley Exchange, HC's Have 'Agreed to Move On'

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma released another statement regarding his postgame incident with South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley following their Final Four matchup, saying the two coaches spoke on Tuesday morning and he apologized.

He previously apologized in a separate statement, albeit without mentioning Staley by name, after the two exchanged heated words at the end of South Carolina's 62-48 win in the Final Four.

"There's no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina," he said. "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."

Auriemma initially said he was frustrated that he had to wait three minutes to undergo the ritual pregame handshake with Staley, before later issuing a series of apologies.

There was immediate backlash to his initial handling of the situation:

In a statement of her own, Staley said she wanted to "turn the page."

"I spoke with Geno, and I want to be clear—I have a great deal of respect for him and what he's meant to this game," she said. "One moment doesn't define a career, and it doesn't change the impact he's had on growing women's basketball. The standard at UConn is what it is because of him, and that's something this game has benefited from. So, I'm asking everyone to turn the page. Let's refocus on what matters most—continuing to elevate our game, creating opportunities and pushing it forward. That's always been my mission, and it's not changing."

South Carolina advanced to the championship game, where it was defeated by UCLA, 79-51.