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PHOENIX, AZ – Just seconds remained in the third quarter of Friday’s Final Four game between UConn and South Carolina, and Sarah Strong drove against Joyce Edwards as the Huskies trailed the Gamecocks by five points. With Edwards providing a stretched-out defensive effort for South Carolina, Strong’s desperate hook shot from mid-range missed the mark.
And then, based on the video evidence and how Strong described the incident after the Huskies lost to the Gamecocks, she ripped her own jersey in frustration. As the buzzer sounded, Strong grabbed the collars of her kit and pulled, tearing it down the middle Hulk Hogan style.
More: Geno Auriemma doesn't regret what he said about Dawn Staley
It was a moment where the frustration for Strong and the Huskies boiled to the surface as their 54-game winning streak and undefeated season came to an end in a 62-48 national semifinal loss for UConn in the Mortgage Matchup Center.
“It was an accident. Missed my shot,” the soft-spoken Strong said after the loss. “Ripped it by accident.”
Between quarters, Strong swapped out her No. 21 jersey and put on the No. 55. She finished the game with 12 points and 12 rebounds, but shot just 4-of-16 from the floor. That 25% clip is tied for the worst single-game shooting percentage of her career.
Strong ripping her own jersey at the end of the third quarter became more than just a singular moment of grievance when UConn coach Geno Auriemma used it as fuel for the tirade he delivered to ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe before the start of the fourth quarter.
"There was six fouls called that quarter. All of them against us. And they've been beating the s--- out of our guys down there the entire game,” Auriemma said on ESPN. “Now 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 you don't want to hear… And I got a kid with a ripped jersey and (the refs) go, ‘I didn’t see it.’ Come on man, this is for the national championship."
Moments after seeing Strong’s torn jersey, Auriemma yelled at referee Fatou Cissoko-Stephens. But the replay shown on the broadcast clearly shows Edwards did not make enough contact with Strong on that play to cause her jersey to split the way it did.
“Sarah Strong actually rips the jersey herself,” ESPN play-by-play broadcaster Ryan Ruocco said during the game as a replay of Strong ripping her jersey was shown. “Now, we could not tell whether or not it was torn a little bit before she did that, but clearly, she made the big tear.”
Given the opportunity to clarify his perspective of how the jersey was torn, Auriemma didn’t back down from his opinion that it was done by a South Carolina player. He also contradicted what Strong seemed to imply in the postgame news conference.
“I've never had a kid have to change their jersey because somebody ripped it and the official said, 'I didn't see it,'” Auriemma said. “She didn't make a mistake. She said it was a mistake. She didn't say she ripped her own jersey.
“I'm just saying there was not a single foul called on them in the third quarter. I have a kid that's one of the best players in the country and has got the ball a lot and is trying to get something done, and you mean to tell me there was never a time when she got fouled? Find that hard to believe.”
With Strong stifled, South Carolina will play in the national championship game for the third consecutive season on Sunday. UConn's hopes of repeating as champs — which would have been a first for the sport since the Huskies won four straight between 2013 and 2016 — were dashed.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Geno Auriemma complains, but did Sarah Strong rip her own jersey in UConn loss?
Continue reading...
And then, based on the video evidence and how Strong described the incident after the Huskies lost to the Gamecocks, she ripped her own jersey in frustration. As the buzzer sounded, Strong grabbed the collars of her kit and pulled, tearing it down the middle Hulk Hogan style.
More: Geno Auriemma doesn't regret what he said about Dawn Staley
It was a moment where the frustration for Strong and the Huskies boiled to the surface as their 54-game winning streak and undefeated season came to an end in a 62-48 national semifinal loss for UConn in the Mortgage Matchup Center.
“It was an accident. Missed my shot,” the soft-spoken Strong said after the loss. “Ripped it by accident.”
Between quarters, Strong swapped out her No. 21 jersey and put on the No. 55. She finished the game with 12 points and 12 rebounds, but shot just 4-of-16 from the floor. That 25% clip is tied for the worst single-game shooting percentage of her career.
Strong ripping her own jersey at the end of the third quarter became more than just a singular moment of grievance when UConn coach Geno Auriemma used it as fuel for the tirade he delivered to ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe before the start of the fourth quarter.
"There was six fouls called that quarter. All of them against us. And they've been beating the s--- out of our guys down there the entire game,” Auriemma said on ESPN. “Now 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 you don't want to hear… And I got a kid with a ripped jersey and (the refs) go, ‘I didn’t see it.’ Come on man, this is for the national championship."
Moments after seeing Strong’s torn jersey, Auriemma yelled at referee Fatou Cissoko-Stephens. But the replay shown on the broadcast clearly shows Edwards did not make enough contact with Strong on that play to cause her jersey to split the way it did.
“Sarah Strong actually rips the jersey herself,” ESPN play-by-play broadcaster Ryan Ruocco said during the game as a replay of Strong ripping her jersey was shown. “Now, we could not tell whether or not it was torn a little bit before she did that, but clearly, she made the big tear.”
Given the opportunity to clarify his perspective of how the jersey was torn, Auriemma didn’t back down from his opinion that it was done by a South Carolina player. He also contradicted what Strong seemed to imply in the postgame news conference.
“I've never had a kid have to change their jersey because somebody ripped it and the official said, 'I didn't see it,'” Auriemma said. “She didn't make a mistake. She said it was a mistake. She didn't say she ripped her own jersey.
“I'm just saying there was not a single foul called on them in the third quarter. I have a kid that's one of the best players in the country and has got the ball a lot and is trying to get something done, and you mean to tell me there was never a time when she got fouled? Find that hard to believe.”
With Strong stifled, South Carolina will play in the national championship game for the third consecutive season on Sunday. UConn's hopes of repeating as champs — which would have been a first for the sport since the Huskies won four straight between 2013 and 2016 — were dashed.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Geno Auriemma complains, but did Sarah Strong rip her own jersey in UConn loss?
Continue reading...
