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Stanford’s Karlie Samuelson (ankle) carried off floor in Final Four

Matt Fortuna
Karlie Samuelson exited the national semifinal with an apparent ankle injury. (AP)
Karlie Samuelson exited the national semifinal with an apparent ankle injury. (AP)

Stanford senior Karlie Samuelson was carried off the court by two teammates late in the first half of the Cardinal’s Final Four game against South Carolina, but the 6-foot guard returned to action for the start of the second half.

Samuelson gave it a go for just more than a minute in the third quarter before exiting the game again, this after she landed awkwardly on her right ankle during a drive with 4:38 left in the second quarter and Stanford up 21-15.

ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe said on the broadcast during the third quarter that Samuelson asked Stanford brass at halftime to let her try to play in the second half, and that she was doing calf raises upon returning to the bench in order to keep her ankle loose.

Rowe had reported earlier after the injury that Samuelson waved off a stretcher in the tunnel and walked back to the locker room on her own.

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“I don’t know anything,” Stanford coach Tara Vanderveer said of Samuelson’s status during the halftime TV interview, adding: “We hope that Karlie’s OK, re-tape her, but we need other people to step up and we need to take care of the basketball.”

Samuelson is Stanford’s third-leading scorer (12.8 ppg), and she shoots 48.5 percent from the floor and a team-best 49 percent from 3.

She could face her younger sister, Katie Lou Samuelson, in the national title game Sunday if both Stanford and UConn win Friday night to advance.

Stanford led South Carolina 29-20 at halftime.

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Matt Fortuna is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!