Geno Auriemma and UConn won’t have to wait long for a rematch with Dawn Staley and South Carolina.
The Huskies will face the Gamecocks as part of a doubleheader on Nov. 24 in the first meeting between the rivals since last month at the Final Four, where Auriemma and Staley got into a fiery postgame altercation.
The UConn-South Carolina matchup, announced Tuesday, will be part of the 13th annual Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Reigning champion UCLA will face St. John’s in the other game.
A visibly upset Auriemma appeared to chastise Staley in the final seconds of South Carolina’s 62-48 upset victory over then-undefeated UConn in the NCAA tournament semifinal on April 3.
Coaches from both teams had to separate Staley and Auriemma, who then walked off the court to the locker room without going back to shake hands with anyone from South Carolina. Auriemma said four days later that he apologized to Staley, adding that “I lost myself” during the tense sideline spat.
Staley also insisted she was ready to “turn the page,” saying that “one moment doesn’t define a career.”
UConn and South Carolina have played 15 times since the start of the 2014-15 season, including four times in the NCAA tournament. The Huskies are 9-6 in those games, but the Gamecocks have won five of the last seven meetings.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
