Auriemma and Staley clash in a tense postgame exchange after South Carolina’s Final Four win

PHOENIX (AP) — Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma’s coaching rivalry has had something for everyone on and off the court. It reached a dramatic peak Friday night, and the heated exchange between them stirred all the elements that make their match-ups must-see TV.

Auriemma said it started at the beginning of the game, but the ending is what everyone will talk about.

A visibly upset Auriemma went over to Staley in the waning seconds of South Carolina's 62-48 victory over his UConn team in the Final Four and appeared to chastise her before the two shook hands. Staley responded with “don't do that" while assistant coaches from both teams separated them.

Auriemma later said the exchange was about the lack of a traditional pregame handshake between the coaches. Staley said she was confused.

“I have no idea,” Staley said when asked what happened. “But I’m going to 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 Gamecocks will play UCLA in their third straight title game on Sunday, but not everyone was willing to move on from the exchange so quickly.

Auriemma immediately left the court without shaking hands when the game ended, and the moment quickly spread on social media.

Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, a former Olympic teammate of Staley, posted on X: “It’s a real shame that #Geno took the low road! We have all had to lose with class! Geno of the @UConnWBB needs to start with an apology!!!”

There were no apologies Friday night, but Auriemma explained why he was frustrated.

“For 41 years I’ve been coaching and, I don’t know, 25 Final Fours,” Auriemma said. “The protocol is before the game you meet at halfcourt. Anybody see that before? Two coaches meet at halfcourt and they shake hands, correct? Ever see it? They announce it on the loudspeaker.

“I waited there for like three minutes. So it is what it is.”

Auriemma and Staley have been the gold standard in women's basketball for years, and their battle for supremacy has produced some of the most thrilling moments in women's college basketball over the last decade.

They've coached some of the greatest talent in the game. They have a combined 15 national championships and nearly 2,000 wins with their respective programs, and their teams have faced each other 15 times.

Despite the intensity on the court, Staley and Auriemma have typically exchanged public pleasantries, complementing each others' successes and importance to the women's game. They sparked conversations in 2023 when Staley defended her team after Auriemma criticized the Gamecocks' physicality — but their rivalry had never boiled over in the way it did on Friday.

Auriemma ripped the officiating in the third after the Gamecocks were not whistled for a foul in the quarter. He continued to voice his displeasure with how Staley spoke to the refs in his postgame press conference.

“I’m of the opinion that if I ever talk to an official like that, I would get tossed,” he said. “So I just want to make sure there’s not a double standard, that some people are allowed to talk to officials like that and other people are not. That’s it.”

Staley did not want to talk about the exchange in her postgame news conference.

“You can ask Geno the question,” she said. “He’s the one that initiated the conversation. I don’t want what happened there to dampen what we were able to accomplish today.”

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, right, yells at UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, left, after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

NEW YORK (AP) — Allowing the New York Yankees to steal five bases Friday extended a troubling trend for Miami Marlins catcher Liam Hicks.

He has yet to catch a runner in the first nine attempts against him this season after going just 6 for 57 in his rookie year. At 6 for 66 in his career, Hicks' success rate of 10% ranks among the worst at the position.

“Obviously, it’s not great," Hicks said after an 8-2 loss at Yankee Stadium. "You don’t want guys to steal bases. That’s a part of the game you’re not trying to allow happen. But it’s part of the game. We’ve just got to be better. I’ve got to be quicker. Just going to keep getting better.”

Hicks said calling for pickoffs, making them and mixing up timing are the ways to improve.

The nine stolen bases against him are the most of any catcher as of Friday afternoon. Tampa Bay's Nick Fortes allowed eight in his first six games and Toronto's Alejandro Kirk and the LA Angels' Logan O’Hoppe seven apiece.

“Liam has made some good throws in spring training,” manager Clayton McCullough said. "He made some early in the season. (Friday) he made the best throws that he could, I think, under the kind of jumps that they got.”

McCullough called it a tough day all around, citing the 11 walks that were more than Miami pitchers had issues over the first six games combined. Even with those and runners on base, Hicks did not want to blame pitchers or shy away from his role in the situation.

“Ideally you want to be as quick as possible, but you also have a pitch you have to throw,” Hicks said. “You can’t just rush to the plate, and you’ve got really good hitters up there, too. You’ve got to focus on the pitch you’re going to throw, too, so it’s a little bit of both. I think we can do a lot of things to do better, and me especially: Just make better throws.”

On one of the Yankees' steals, Hicks didn't even make a throw to second base because Jose Caballero got such a good jump that even perfection would not have gotten the runner out. Caballero and Jazz Chisolm Jr. each had two stolen bases and Aaron Judge picked up his first of the season.

“It's complete baseball,” Judge said. “If you can add that into the mix, especially with our lineup, that’ll be good.”

Manager Aaron Boone said running became part of the Yankees' identity in the second half last year They have 11 stolen bases through their first seven games for just the ninth time in franchise history.

“We’ve got a handful of guys that can really push it in the running game," Boone said. “It's just more day in and day out, like ‘What’s the matchup?’ Sometimes you’re going to have good opportunities to run. Other days, other series, you’re not necessarily. We got some of the right guys on, and we were able to get it going.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

Miami Marlins' Liam Hicks hits a fly ball during the ninth inning of a home-opener baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, April 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Miami Marlins catcher Liam Hicks throws the ball back to pitcher Michael Petersen during the seventh inning of a home-opener baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, April 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)