“She wanted him to stay”: Fans react to confused Sarah Strong’s hilarious expression after Geno Auriemma walks off

Sarah Strong guided the UConn Huskies to their 12th NCAA championship with an outstanding performance in the final on Sunday.

Her interview with ESPN after the game was shared on Monday by ESPNW on Instagram with the caption:

"These two 😅."

Strong was with her coach, Geno Auriemma, during her interview, and both later hugged each other before he walked off the stage.

In the video, the 19-year-old was asked to explain the feeling of winning a national championship in her 40th career game.

Before she could reply, Auriemma walked off the stage, which led to the star making a hilarious expression that got fans talking in the comments section.

"She wanted him to stay lol," a fan said.

"😂😂 Geno whatttt," another fan reacted.

"She’s like ummm how you gone leave me 😂😂😂," one fan commented.

Fans react to confused Sarah Strong’s hilarious expression. (Credit: IG/@espnw)

"This is dad & daughter energy 😂😂," revealed a fan.

"Like where’s he going??? lol," another fan mentioned.

"Coach Geno is such a dad to his team," replied one fan.

Fans react to confused Sarah Strong’s hilarious expression. (Credit: IG/@espnw)

The No. 2 seed UConn Huskies (38-3) won the national championship by defeating the No. 1 seed South Carolina Gamecocks (35-5) 82-59 on Sunday.

Sarah Strong had 24 points and 15 rebounds. Paige Bueckers followed suit with 17 points and six rebounds, and Azzi Fudd had 24 points and five rebounds.

Geno Auriemma compares Sarah Strong to Charles Barkley

UConn vs. South Carolina: Sarah Strong - Source: Getty

UConn coach Geno Auriemma compared Sarah Strong to NBA icon Charles Barkley, who was nicknamed "The Bread Truck" and "The Round Mound of Rebound."

"I said, 'She's Charles Barkley,'" Auriemma said. "Now, she's a way better shooter than Chuck was. But I just think when you have a kid who's that young, who knows the game so well, and no matter what situation she's in on the court, no matter what part of the court, no matter what it calls for – she has the ability to do it.

"That's very rare in professional basketball players, much less a 19-year-old college freshman."

Strong scored 114 points, the most by a freshman in Division I history, cementing her place in the record books.

The guard also became the only freshman in UConn history to record over 600 points and 300 rebounds in a single season. She is also the second freshman, alongside legendary Huskies player Maya Moore, to achieve 600 points in a season.