Dawn Staley on national title loss to UCLA: 'We got smacked today' (0:57) Dawn Staley discusses the pressure that comes with consistent winning following South Carolina's loss to UCLA in the national championship. (0:57) Kareem Copeland Apr 5, 2026, 08:55 PM ET PHOENIX -- After a weekend of dealing with the aftermath from the on-court spat with UConn coach Geno Auriemma, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley spent much of her time postgame Sunday heaping praise on UCLA coach Cori Close. The Bruins earned their first NCAA women's basketball championship in a wire-to-wire 79-51 victory over the Gamecocks. Staley spoke glowingly of Close, and that was a stark difference from the way she addressed Auriemma. "I'm always happy for people that worked hard in this game, who are really quality people," Staley said. "I want good things to happen for them. Cori is one of those people who really works at making our game better.…