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The University of South Carolina’s (UofSC) women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley wants the media to be mindful of the negative narratives circulating about her players. 

Staley shared her comments at a press conference following the Gamecock’s 73-77 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. The two teams duked it out on March 31 to determine who was proceeding in the NCAA Final Four Tournament.

According to ESPN, referees whistled the Gamecocks for 20 fouls during Friday night’s heated game. It was the third time the team was called out for 20 or more fouls in a regulation game in the 2022-2023 season.

Staley said that a heightened sensitivity should be regarded to avoid negative stereotypes when discussing Black players and their behavior on the court.  

“I do think with all the talk of how we play and the physical nature in which we play and the description of our team, I do think it plays a part,” the no-nonsense told journalists around the 6:00 mark. “People got to do what they got to do to win. We’ve won a lot of basketball games doing it this way. We’ll win a lot more, we’re not changing.”

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The coach defended her players while explaining “the truth” about her team during a separate post-game press conference.

“We’re not bar fighters. We’re not thugs. We’re not monkeys. We’re not street fighters. This team exemplifies how you need to approach basketball on the court and off the court…”

After addressing the media, Staley said, “Watch what you say when you’re in public and you’re talking about my team in particular.”

The Gamecocks had a historic run in the 2022-2033 season. The UofSC team’s 36 consecutive wins was a streak broken by their loss to the Hawkeyes. Regardless, the achievement goes down in history as the basketball program’s “longest winning streak, the longest home winning streak, the most wins in a season and the most SEC awards in a season,” Greenville News reported.

Senior player Zia Cooke secured her first national award this season as the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year. Fellow senior Aliyah Boston won the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. The latter player is now gearing up for the WNBA draft April 10.

The Iowa Hawkeyes ultimately lost the NCAA championship to LSU April 2.  

RELATED CONTENT: “Iowa State Can’t See Angel Reese After LSU Bags NCAA Title, Her Haters Can’t Either” 

UofSC is hosting its second annual “A Celebration of Dawn Staley featuring Robin Roberts” April 27.

The fundraiser will give back to the Dawn Staley Champions Fund. Proceeds will provide scholarships “for first-generation, economically disadvantaged, and underrepresented students/athletes” at the university, according to ABC Columbia

The celebration will include a “fireside chat” between the Gamecock’s coach and Roberts, an anchor on Good Morning America and a Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.

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