South Carolina fell to UCLA in a dominant 79-51 championship game, with Dawn Staley acknowledging defeat while praising Bruins coach Cori Close. Staley commended Close's impact on women's basketball beyond just UCLA, calling her "one of those people who really works at making our game better." Despite the loss, Staley emphasized respect for UCLA's accomplishment.

Staley's approach to Close contrasted sharply with her stance toward UConn's Geno Auriemma following their semifinal incident. Auriemma had angrily confronted Staley after UConn's loss, then issued a statement where he apologized but notably failed to mention Staley by name. The two coaches' handshake before the game had been delayed, with Auriemma publicly complaining about the wait.

Staley addressed the Auriemma situation but chose not to let it overshadow UCLA's championship moment. "I will address all of that at another time, just not this weekend," she stated, adding "We're not going to damper UCLA's day with it." Despite reports of Auriemma reaching out, Staley claimed she hadn't heard from him among her hundreds of unread messages.