Stanford, Alanna Smith lose to South Carolina in Final Four, look to bright future

Stanford forward Alanna Smith led a late rally but her side fell short in their NCAA Tournament Final Four clash with South Carolina on Saturday.

Smith scored five of her 14 points in the last three minutes to draw Cardinal to within three points of the Gamecocks before Stanford's shooting escaped them with South Carolina winning 62-53 at American Airlines Arena, Dallas.

Smith, Stanford's first international recruit, finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds to be equal top-scorer for Stanford with Erica McCall (14 points, 14 rebounds).

The Victorian-raised forward told media her side could hold its head high and would look to make it back to the big stage next season.

"I think the really good thing about our team is that we never give up and we kept going to the final seconds," Smith said.

"Even now I'm really proud of how our team played. We just kept pushing through the battle. We can be so proud of how far we have come and we have a great future ahead of us."

Stanford led at half-time and looked a good chance at claiming the win but with senior guard Karlie Samuelson succumbing to an ankle injury late in the second quarter and without their best shooter their offence struggled.

Stanford coach Tara Vanderveer said she was proud of her players and they couldn't overcome the well-organised Gamecocks.

"We turned it over too much. We had a nine-point lead and they got right back in," Vanderveer said. "We just really struggled without our glue out there when Karlie twisted her ankle.

"It gave us a tough time. We need [Karlie] scoring. It was a great effort, but without Karlie we really struggled."

The Gamecocks will play Mississippi State Bulldogs in the NCAA tournament final on Monday, the Bulldogs upset University of Connecticut in the other Final Four game on Saturday, ending the Huskies 111-game winning streak.