- Blue Devils move on to Sweet Sixteen next weekend
- Higher seeds went 31-1 in tournament’s opening round
Reigan Richardson scored 28 points and added seven rebounds as No 7 seed Duke rallied from a 16-point first-half deficit to beat No 2 seed Ohio State 75-63 on Sunday and earn a spot in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018.
Richardson hit a three-pointer from the wing to put Duke up 59-57 with 5:21 left. That sparked a 13-2 run by the Blue Devils that began to put the game out of reach. Ashlon Jackson scored 13 points and Taina Mair added 11 for the Blue Devils, who move on to Oregon to play next weekend against the winner of Syracuse and UConn.
“We’re super proud, just how the team played today,” said Richardson, who averaged 11.9 points per game during the season. “I think we were down by 16, and we didn’t let it faze us. We stayed with each other and we were able to climb back.”
Duke’s upset win was only the second time in this tournament that a lower seeded team had won. The higher seeds were 31-1 in the opening round.
Cotie McMahon paced the Buckeyes with 27 points. Most of those were in the paint. Ohio State attempted just nine three-pointers in the game and didn’t make one until there were 12.2 seconds left in the game. Celeste Taylor, who transferred to Ohio State from Duke before the season, scored just six points before fouling out with 6:38 left in the game.
“They played better,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. “They deserved to win. We didn’t play well today.”
Ohio State’s pressing defense caused problems for Duke early as the Buckeyes built a 16-point lead. But the Blue Devils came roaring back. A 12-2 run cut the Buckeyes lead to 36-32 at halftime.
“These guys never flinched,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said. “In the huddles, they were locked in. They kept their belief, even though it felt like we were getting run out of the gym at the beginning of the game. Possession by possession we worked our way back.”
In the first round on Friday, Ohio State routed No 15 seed Maine 80-57. Duke rallied in the second half to beat No 10 seed Richmond.
