South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley (right) yells at Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma at Mortgage Matchup Center during the Women's Final Four in Phoenix on April 3, 2026.© Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.

South Carolina Star Raven Johnson Issued 'Warning' After National Title Loss

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Holleran | Last updated Apr 6, 2026 10:29 AM ET

South Carolina fell to UCLA, 79-51, in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament national championship game on Sunday afternoon.

It was a tough loss for South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, her players and the Gamecocks' fan base. Following the game, one of South Carolina's top players, Raven Johnson, issued a "warning" to all female athletes: stay off of X, formerly known as Twitter.

The South Carolina women's basketball star made it clear that she believes the social media platform is a toxic, dangerous place.

“I don’t really be on social media,” Johnson said at the Final Four. “I don’t be on Twitter, because that is a toxic app. I’m going to say: for athletes, if you play sports, or women’s sports, stay off Twitter. Because those people are crazy on there.”

It was a toxic weekend overall.

South Carolina's head coach got into a screaming match with UConn's Geno Auriemma at the end of the Final Four contest on Friday evening.

Johnson ended up having to play the role of peacemaker.

South Carolina's star helped her coach calm down

Johnson was the one who ran over to her head coach and helped her calm down amid the screaming match with Auriemma.

"I honestly just saw her screaming," Johnson said. "Something she doesn't usually do. I ran over to her quick. Like, I don't play about Coach Staley at all. We've been through a lot together. She fights for each one of us outside of basketball.

"When she's in situations like this, I'm always going to have her back."

Staley loved it.

"It's just so classic Raven," Staley said. "I mean, she makes me laugh even in the most difficult situations because she's so innocent. Like, she really is a really kindhearted young lady. Sometimes you need people around you to put things in perspective.

"It truly was a calming for her to do that. Just to break the ice of what was happening in real time."

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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