Tempers boiled over following South Carolina’s stunning victory over UConn on Friday, as the team’s head coaches had a fiery courtside clash in the final moments.
The evening saw South Carolina book their place in March Madness’ championship game after a dominant 62-48 victory over Auriemma’s Huskies.
However, after the game, fans were left discussing a courtside clash between head coaches Auriemma and Staley, which occurred in the final seconds of the game.
As the coaches went to shake hands, Auriemma appeared to take issue with his counterpart and began shouting in the face of Staley.
The South Carolina head coach fired back as they exchanged words courtside, before eventually being separated by officials.
When asked about the exchange, Staley told ESPN: ‘I have no idea [what happened]. But I will tell you this, I’m of integrity. If I did something wrong to Geno… I have no idea what I did! But, hey, sometimes things get heated. We move on’.
Meanwhile, when Auriemma was interviewed mid-game, he vented his frustrations with South Carolina coach Staley for the way she was addressing the officials.
He told ESPN: ‘I’m not making excuses, because we haven’t been able to make a shot, but this is ridiculous. Their coach rants and raves on the sideline and calls the referee some names you don’t want to hear.’
Auriemma suggested that his team were unfairly officiated during the game and insinuated that a Gamecocks player should’ve been penalized for ripping Sarah Strong’s jersey.
However, replays from the game showed that Strong ripped her own jersey in frustration and was later forced to wear a new jersey in order to continue.
More to follow…
