Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks were trying to win their second straight national championship on Sunday, but instead they ended up getting blown out by Paige Bueckers and a very dominant UConn team, losing 82-59 in a national title game that never felt that close.

Staley has built a powerhouse program at South Carolina, winning three national titles since taking over as head coach in 2008.

But she had no answers for the Huskies on Sunday and her frustrations were on full display when the ESPN broadcast showed her having an emotional moment during the third quarter.

UConn’s Geno Auriemma now has won an incredible 12 national titles at UConn. It’s safe to say these two legendary coaches will have more showdowns in the future, but on Sunday there was not doubt who was the better team.

Dawn Staley Shows South Carolina Reporters Love After NCAA Championship Loss

South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley sent reporters a strong message after losing in the NCAA national championship.

Apr 5, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley talks to media before practice at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team came up short of repeating as NCAA national champions on Sunday, as they were dismantled by the UConn Huskies in the championship game.

Despite this defeat, Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley is still clearly building a dynasty, given she has won three national championships since 2017. While this loss to UConn is a setback, Staley’s culture of respect and repeated excellence immediately make South Carolina a national championship contender next season, as well as in the seasons after that.

Staley’s culture of respect was conveyed once again through a gesture she made during a postgame scrum after Sunday’s game.

“I’ll leave on this note: This is our local media, and you all have followed us throughout the season. And a lot of times, people ask for me to do things on a national scale, but I say no a lot, because they don’t really know our team. You guys know our team,” Staley said, per an X post from Julia Westerman.

“And you cover us really well, and you cover us so much… and you’re pretty fair with how you assess our basketball team. So I really really really really appreciate all of y’all, just the coverage that you give us, the support that you give us through the media,” she added.

“If every program had this, I think we could push women’s basketball forward on a local level across the country. So I really appreciate it,” she concluded.

It’s really cool to hear Staley take the time to thank these reporters after a long and grueling season for both sides.