Dawn Staley gives classy answer after Geno Auriemma question following national title loss: 'It's UCLA's day'

Staley Spotlights UCLA Title After Championship Loss

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley deflected questions about her tense exchange with UConn's Geno Auriemma following a 79-51 loss to UCLA in the NCAA women's basketball championship on April 5, 2026, in Phoenix. "I don’t want – this is UCLA’s day, right? Let’s keep it UCLA, them winning the national championship," Staley told reporters. "... We’re not going to damper UCLA’s day with it."

The Gamecocks had advanced to their third straight title game after defeating reigning champion UConn in the Final Four on Friday. Auriemma did not shake Staley's hand before tipoff and appeared to enrage her at midcourt after the loss, which ended UConn's undefeated season. Staley greeted UCLA coach Cori Close cordially before the final, hugging and sharing words in contrast to the UConn incident.

Auriemma issued a statement Saturday apologizing to South Carolina's staff. "There’s no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina," he said. Staley had responded post-UConn win by focusing on the title pursuit: "No distractions at this time. I'm concentrating on winning a national championship."

UCLA claimed its first women's basketball national title with the dominant victory at the Mortgage Matchup Center.