'No excuse': Geno Auriemma apologizes to South Carolina after post-game confrontation with Dawn Staley [View all]

UConn women’s basketball head coach Geno Auriemma on Saturday issued an apology and taken full responsibility for his conduct during the closing moments of the Huskies’ season-ending loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks on Friday night.

“There’s no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina. It’s unlike what I do and what our standard is here at Connecticut,” Auriemma said in a statement released by the university.

“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.”

He added: “I’ve had a great relationship with their staff, and I sincerely want to apologize to them.”




https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/04/sport/march-madness-geno-auriemma-apology