South Carolina beats UConn as Auriemma, Staley feud

PHOENIX – At this time last year, Ta’Niya Latson was packing up her Tallahassee, Florida, apartment while watching the women’s national championship basketball game about 270 miles away in Tampa.

As the team to which she would soon transfer lost to UConn, Latson felt the same pain as South Carolina and Gamecocks guard Raven Johnson, whom she called her “sister.”

Unfulfilled expectations were a common theme in the South Carolin a locker room before a Final Four matchup with UConn on Friday at Mortgage Matchup Center. Despite winning the championship in 2024, coach Dawn Staley still hadn’t gotten over losing in the 2023 Final Four.

“I’m haunted by that particular Final Four because of the players that we had and the season that we were having,” Staley said.

The Gamecocks are just 40 minutes away from alleviating that pain after an emphatic 62-48 takedown of UConn in Phoenix that was marred by a confrontation between the two coaches. South Carolina held UConn to its lowest point total since Dec. 9, 2021, thereby punching its ticket to its third straight national championship on Sunday, where it will face UCLA.

Despite averaging 3.9 rebounds in her career, Latson grabbed 11 boards on Friday to complement her game-high 16 points in a standout performance.

The guard averaged more than 20 points per game in each of the three seasons she spent at Florida State, leading the NCAA in scoring in 2024-25 with a 25.2 average. Despite being the primary star on the Florida State roster, she decided to spend her senior season in a role with a little less responsibility. She recorded career lows in most major categories with South Carolina this season, but Latson is over the moon with the choice she made.

“This is why I came to South Carolina,” she said of the chance to compete for a national championship. “It was a personal sacrifice that I had to make. I know a lot of people don’t get that. They don’t understand my why. This is my why.”

Despite the victory, much of the attention was focused on the coaches. This matchup was already a heated rivalry, but Huskies coach Geno Auriemma threw gallons of fuel on the fire before the ball even tipped.

Auriemma said Staley delayed the regularly scheduled coaches handshake before the game. He was baffled by that choice.

“For 41 years, I’ve been coaching, and 25 Final Fours,” Auriemma said. “The protocol is before the game, you meet at halfcourt… I waited there for three minutes.”

Auriemma’s anger was further fueled by the officiating in the game. In an in-game interview, he was upset by what he would later call a “double standard” from the officials.

“There were six fouls called that (third) quarter. All of them against us,” Auriemma told ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “They’ve been beating the s_ _t out of our guys the entire game. 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 referees some names you don’t want to hear.”

After the game was all but over, Auriemma and Staley had an altercation in which the two exchanged words. Neither coach would reveal the specifics of what was said, but Auriemma did not shy away from voicing his concerns.

One specific concern occurred near the end of the third quarter. Auriemma accused a South Carolina player of ripping the jersey of UConn’s Sarah Strong, but Strong admitted the rip was a “mistake” of her own doing. After missing a shot, Strong was captured on camera ripping the front neckline.

After the game, Auriemma stood by his mid-game conduct, adding some comments about the situation with Strong.

“I don’t have any regrets about what I said to Holly Rowe, why would I?” Auriemma asked. “I’ve been coaching a long time. I’ve never had a kid have to change their jersey because somebody ripped it and the official said, ‘I didn’t see it.’ There are a lot of things that happened in that game. Unless you’re on that sideline, you have no idea what’s happening.”

Staley was animated during the altercation – at one point caught on camera saying, “I’m gonna beat Geno’s ass’ – but advised reporters to direct any questions to Auriemma. She did tell ESPN afterward that she was surprised by his reaction.

“I have no idea (what happened),” she said. “But I’mma let you know this, I’m of integrity. I’m of integrity. So if I did something wrong to Geno, I had no idea what I did. I guess he thought I didn’t shake his hand at the beginning of the game. I didn’t know — I went down there pregame, shook everybody on his staff’s hand. I don’t know what he came with after the game, but hey, sometimes things get heated. We move on.”

The ending of the game wasn’t the only time Staley was animated. She ripped into her players at halftime.

“She was yelling,” Latson said. “‘Meet the moment, meet the moment.’ We couldn’t be scared to play on this stage, especially against UConn. They were undefeated.”

Having six consecutive Final Fours under her belt, Staley used her previous experience to guide her players. After the game, she explained her frustrations and expanded on her halftime comments.

“You really don’t get these opportunities very often,” Staley said. “You got to meet the moment. If we lost this game, I know our players would have been mad at themselves because they’re very capable. Play to your capabilities. Play to the habits that we’ve had all season long.”

One of those habits was suffocating defense. Staley said that a main focus for the Gamecocks was stopping a strong Huskies offense.

“Our whole objective was to get them to shoot as inefficiently as possible, make them put the ball on the floor,” Staley said. “Don’t give them as many catch-and-shoot opportunities. I thought our kids really locked into that. They were scrappy.”

UConn felt the impact, shooting 31% from the field and 29% from beyond the arc. It was apparent that the Huskies were off their game in the second half.

Despite coming in as the favorites, UConn found itself rushing unnecessary shots. It looked as if the teams’ roles were reversed. UConn played with a chip on its shoulder, while South Carolina looked like the steady, calm favorite.

After the game, UConn senior guard Azzi Fudd, who was held to eight points on 3-for-15 shooting, highlighted the impact of the Gamecocks’ defense.

“They were super aggressive,” Fudd said. “I thought some of our shots were a little rushed, out of pace.”

Friday marked an emotional ending for Fudd. After five years spent in Storrs, the loss ended her college career. Despite winning a national championship and being the odds-on favorite to become the first overall selection in the 2026 WNBA Draft, Fudd was clearly moved by the finality of the moment. 

“A lot of emotions,” Fudd said at a postgame news conference.

She then paused, thinking back to the previous five years. The memories she made. The time spent with her teammates. The games won and lost. 

The world seemed to pause around her as she gathered her thoughts and tears welled in her eyes. Fighting off the emotions she had clearly been battling before the news conference began, Fudd finally spoke again.

“This isn’t how I wanted my career at UConn to end,” she said. “These five years, I have so much to be grateful for. I couldn’t have asked for better teammates, better coaches, a better experience.”

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