Geno irate at 'ridiculous' officiating, confronts Staley on sideline in loss - ESPN

UConn's Geno Auriemma was not a happy man.

With the officiating. With his team's performance. With South Carolina coach Dawn Staley.

The Huskies coach ripped into the officiating crew during a live TV interview and then got into a heated argument with Staley in the final seconds of their 62-48 loss to the Gamecocks in the national semifinals of the women's Final Four on Friday night.

A minute later, he stalked off the floor alone, stewing over the nightmare performance.

«There were six fouls called that quarter — all of them against us,» Auriemma said on the broadcast. «And they've been beating the s--- out of our guys down there the entire game. I'm not making excuses, 'cause 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. And now we get 6 to 0, and I got a kid with a ripped jersey, and they go, 'I didn't see it.' Come on, man. It's for a national championship."

Auriemma wasn't finished showing his displeasure. The 72-year-old coach walked toward Staley in the final seconds of the game before the two had an angry exchange, with assistants having to get in between them.

Once the game finally ended, Auriemma slowly walked off the court and down the tunnel without shaking hands with the Gamecocks. The teams did shake hands.

«I have no idea,» Staley said when asked what happened between the coaches. «But I'm gonna 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