GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) -- Florida State did just about everything longtime coach Sue Semrau could've asked in trying to reach its first Final Four.
The Seminoles just couldn't overcome foul trouble nor find a go-to player in a tight second half before falling to South Carolina 80-74 in Sunday's Greensboro Region final.
"It's hard to lead for 28 minutes and trail for three and lose it," Semrau said.
The No. 2-seeded Seminoles (32-5) came close to adding the biggest milestone yet to the winningest season in program history.
Playing in their second Elite Eight, FSU led by 10 in the first half and didn't trail until midway through the second half before Tiffany Mitchell put the top-seeded Gamecocks ahead for good in the final 2 minutes.
FSU entered the game with five players averaging between 10.1 and 12.4 points, with Semrau saying Thursday that the team's go-to player was "somebody different every night" and "we just don't know who it will be."
And five different players had led the Seminoles in scoring at least four times this season, according to STATS.
But FSU just couldn't find the person to take command of a struggling offense after halftime.
At times it looked as if it might be Leticia Romero, who scored a team-high 13 points and hit two driving baskets midway through the second half.
At others, it looked as if it could be fellow sophomore guard Brittany Brown (12 points) or Adut Bulgak (11) when they hit big baskets to answer pushes from the Gamecocks.
But as South Carolina's defense tightened, FSU managed one basket over an 8-minute stretch and just couldn't find someone to string together a couple of needed baskets.
It didn't help that senior guard and No. 2 scorer Maegan Conwright (seven points) played just 18 minutes due to foul trouble, picking up her fourth foul with 14:23 left.
The overall foul trouble soon forced Semrau to tweak her rotations to compensate, subbing key players in and out of the lineup but keeping FSU from finding its rhythm.
"I just was trying to protect that, keep it close," Semrau said, "and I think that hurt in some ways that (Conwright) couldn't play the whole time."
Ultimately, Mitchell scored seven of her 21 points in the final 2 minutes, including the go-ahead drive with 1:59 left to make it 69-67. She also followed with a huge 3-pointer from the corner on the next possession to push the margin to five, putting the Gamecocks (34-2) in control.
Khadijah Sessions ended it by stealing the ball from Conwright and running in for a layup on the final play, sending South Carolina on to its first Final Four.
STAT SHEET:
Part of the problem for Florida State was foul trouble. Conwright, the Seminoles' top defensive player whose steal sealed the Sweet 16 win over Arizona State, picked up her fourth foul with 14:24 to play. They also had two players -- Brown and guard Emiah Bingley -- foul out. They were the first Florida State players to foul out since Bulgat did it Feb. 22 in a win at Boston College.
TIP-INS:
Florida State: Each of the Seminoles' final three losses this season came in the state of North Carolina. In addition to this one, they lost at UNC on Feb. 12 and also were beaten by Notre Dame in the Greensboro Coliseum in the ACC title game March 8. ... Romero, who scored a career-best 21 points in the Sweet 16 win over Arizona State, was 5 of 14 while shooting with a taped right hand and wrist.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks were outrebounded for just the second time all season. Florida State held a 33-28 advantage on the boards. ... Coates, selected as the most outstanding player of the regional, finished 6 of 6 from the field.
UP NEXT:
Florida State: Season over.
South Carolina: Will play the Notre Dame-Baylor winner on April 5 in the Final Four in Tampa, Florida.
