Tennessee women's basketball star, UCLA coach share tense moment in handshake line

Tennessee Lady Volunteers women’s hoops guardant Janiah Barker had an icy infinitesimal successful the handshake enactment with UCLA Bruins caput manager Cori Close aft Sunday’s game.

Barker led the No. 14 Lady Vols with 25 points successful 27 minutes. The No. 3 Bruins managed to prime up the 22-point victory, 99-77.

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Tennessee guardant Janiah Barker (0) drives against UCLA halfway Lauren Betts during the archetypal fractional of an NCAA assemblage hoops crippled successful Los Angeles, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025.  (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

As the broadcast tuned into the players and coaches giving each different handshakes for a infinitesimal of bully sportsmanship, Barker pulled her manus distant from Close and continued to locomotion down the line. Close enactment her hands up and shrugged disconnected the moment.

Barker transferred from UCLA to Tennessee aft lone 1 twelvemonth successful Southern California. She appeared successful 36 games, making 3 starts. She averaged 7.4 points and 6 rebounds per game.

She reacted to the infinitesimal connected societal media, saying she had nary ill-will toward Close.

Tennessee guardant Janiah Barker (0) reacts astatine the extremity of an NCAA assemblage hoops crippled against UCLA successful Los Angeles, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025.  (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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"Respect! We shook hands. I privation thing but the champion for Coach (Cori) and my UCLA fam," she wrote connected X.

Close besides shared the aforesaid sentiments arsenic it appeared the handshake-line incidental was an anomaly.

"Outside of this game, I privation to privation Janiah Barker thing but the best. I deliberation she is simply a spectacular player, she gave america a batch connected the court, disconnected the court. And I conscionable privation to marque definite that I accidental I privation her thing but the champion the remainder of the mode through," she said, via Sports Illustrated.

UCLA caput manager Cori Close talks to her players during the archetypal fractional of an NCAA assemblage hoops crippled against Duke successful the Players Era tourney successful Las Vegas, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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UCLA moved to 8-1 connected the year. Tennessee fell to 5-2.

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