Iowa coach Lisa Bluder responds to Dawn Staley's over 'bar fight' comments

South Carolina found itself in an unusual position on Friday. Head coach Dawn Staley walked into a postgame press conference following a loss, something she had not done all season. A loss in Dallas to Iowa in the Final Four meant the Gamecocks were going home.

Prior to the game, Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said they would be “going to a bar fight” against South Carolina, referencing their physicality. Well, when Staley spoke to the media, she discussed how the comments did not sit well with her.

“Truth about our team? That’s a good question.” Dawn Staley said. “We’re not bar fighters. We’re not thugs. (And) 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,” said the coach and one-time star player. “And I do think that that’s sometimes brought into the game, and it hurts.”

Bluder has since responded prior to her team playing in the national championship game on Sunday afternoon. She said the bar fight comment was made “tongue in cheek” and there they were not meant to be taken literally. If anything, Bluder was just talking about the potential rebounding battle between the two.

“If you know me, I speak tongue in cheek a lot, and I was saying an analogy of you’ve got to rebound like you’re in a bar fight,” Bluder said. “That’s all. It doesn’t say who’s fighting, right? But that’s fine. I’ve never been in a bar fight, by the way.”

Despite being on the losing end, South Carolina dominated on the glass. Outrebounding Iowa by 24, Staley’s team was clearly the better one in the paint — especially on the offensive end. The Gamecocks had more offensive rebounds than the Hawkeyes had in total.

Over the course of the season, South Carolina has been the second-best rebounding team in the country. They averaged nearly 50 a game and were around the same number on Friday. Even during a winning effort, Lisa Bluder saw her team struggle to control the boards.

Nonetheless, Iowa will be the ones suiting up to play at the American Airline’s Arena on Sunday. LSU will be the opponent, where the trash talk has already been flowing. Once the game tips off, there will be even more emotions running. A fun championship game should be on the way as the women’s game continues to explode.