As UConn and South Carolina headed into the fourth quarter of their Final Four matchup, Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma shared his thoughts on the officiating in the third quarter during an interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe.
“There were six fouls called that quarter, all of them against us, and they have been beating the **** out of four guys down here the entire game,” Auriemma said.
Although Auriemma felt the officials weren’t favoring UConn, he doesn’t want that to be an excuse.
“I’m not making excuses; we haven’t been able to make a shot, but this is ridiculous,” Auriemma added.
Auriemma didn’t stop at going after the officials, but he also took a shot at South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley.
“There, coach rants and raves on the sidelines and calls the referees some names you don’t want to hear, and now we get six to zero, and I got a kid with a ripped jersey, and they go I didn’t see it,” Auriemma said.
UConn Had a Rough Third Quarter
It’s safe to say Auriemma isn’t pleased with how his team was treated in the third quarter, especially since South Carolina won the quarter 20-13 and didn’t get called for a foul.
The Huskies are 38-0 and aiming to secure their second straight title. Given that theyâre the top team in college basketball, officials might call the game a bit tighter against them, and Auriemma might have gotten that impression.
UConn’s star forward, Sarah Strong, had her jersey torn during the third quarter in a physical play that drew no foul call, likely igniting Auriemma’s intense rant. But that wasn’t exactly what happened. ESPN showed a video clip of Strong tearing her own jersey as she walked back to the bench.
Last year, these two teams faced off in the national championship, with UConn decisively defeating South Carolina 82-59, and Staley wanted to ensure that result didn’t happen again.
South Carolina Beat UConn
Auriemma’s outburst regarding the officials didn’t aid UConn in the fourth quarter, as the Huskies were outscored 18-9 and ultimately fell 62-48. However, South Carolina’s win wasn’t even the highlight of the game.
With a few seconds left on the clock, Auriemma and Staley went to shake hands, and Staley and Auriemma started arguing with each other.
The entire game was intense, with the players and coaches adding to the mix.
South Carolina snapped UConn’s 54-game winning streak, and now it will look to win the title. The Gamecocks won the 2024 women’s championship, but after the Huskies beat them last season, they couldn’t repeat. They got their revenge.
The championship matchup will be determined after Friday night’s game between Texas and UCLA.
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