UConn coach Geno Auriemma has to be pulled back from South Carolina coach Dawn Staley during heated moment in loss to Gamecocks

“I have no idea [what happened],” Staley said on ESPN after the game. “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.”

Video ESPN showed after the game confirmed that Staley did shake Auriemma’s hand before the game. Auriemma said postgame, though, that he waited “for like three minutes” to meet Staley pregame to shake her hand a second time.

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A reporter asked Auriemma what he was talking about, as he was clearly seen shaking Staley’s hand before the game. He said that reporter missed the point.

As for the words that were exchanged, Auriemma didn’t have much to add.

“I said what I said,” Auriemma said, via Auerbach. “And, obviously, she didn’t like it.

“I just told the truth.”

Auriemma calls out Staley, officials during in-game interview

The incident at the end of the game came shortly after Auriemma went off on both Staley and the officiating during his in-game interview before the fourth quarter.

The longtime Huskies coach absolutely laid into the referees and Staley in a rare, pointed outburst while speaking with ESPN’s Holly Rowe.

That came after South Carolina drew six fouls in the third period while the Huskies didn’t earn any. UConn star Sarah Strong had to replace her jersey after it was ripped in the quarter, too.

“There were six fouls called that quarter, all of them against us. And they’ve been beating the s**t out of our guys down there the entire game,” Auriemma said. “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 that you don’t want to hear. And now we got 6-0, and I’ve got a kid with a ripped jersey, and they go, I didn’t see it. Come on man, this is for the national championship!”

Strong was seen ripping her jersey on the baseline, but it’s unclear if it was torn a bit before that. She made a bigger tear, however, and switched jerseys to wear No. 55 the rest of the way.

As for his interview with Rowe, Auriemma stood by that too.

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“I don’t have any regrets about what I said to Holly Rowe,” he said postgame. “Why would I?”

UConn entered Friday night’s contest, which was a rematch of last season’s national championship game, with a perfect 38-0 record.

Staley, who is wrapping up her 18th season with the Gamecocks, was spotted badgering the officials repeatedly without any repercussions earlier in the game. It’s unclear what Auriemma is referring to specifically with the “names” that he said Staley called the referees.

The Gamecocks, despite entering halftime down by two, controlled the entire second half to pick up the 14-point win. They outscored the Huskies by seven points in the third period to take the lead, and then held UConn scoreless for more than four minutes down the stretch to break the game open. UConn ended up shooting just 31% from the field and was led by Strong’s 11 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.

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Ta’Niya Latson led the Gamecocks with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Agot Makeer added 14 points off the bench. South Carolina was called for seven fouls throughout the game, compared to 16 for UConn.

South Carolina will now take on either Texas or UCLA in the national championship game on Sunday. The Gamecocks have been to the title game in four of the past five seasons now, and have claimed two championships over that span.

Auriemma and the Huskies, despite their truly dominant undefeated regular season and a strong run to the Final Four, will now have to watch that game from home.