UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma released a statement on Saturday, apologizing to the South Carolina Gamecocks for his heated outburst after the Huskies fell to South Carolina in the Final Four on Friday.
Statement from Head Coach Geno Auriemma pic.twitter.com/q8La6lMqN6
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“There’s no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina,” the statement read. “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.”
In the final moments of Friday’s matchup, Auriemma appeared to confront South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley before the two got into a heated argument.
After the two were separated, Auriemma walked back to the locker room before the teams shook hands.
Auriemma went on to tell reporters that he was upset that he waited over three minutes to get a pre-game handshake from Staley.
Friday’s loss snapped a 54-game winning streak for the Huskies, and that somehow wasn’t the biggest takeaway from the game.
James Parker contributed to this story.
