No. 7 Duke digs out of hole, upends No. 2 Ohio State

Field Level Media|published: Sun 24th March, 14:28 2024

Ohio State guard Celeste Taylor (12) hits a layup around Duke guard Taina Mair (22) during the first half of their women's NCAA Tournament game at Value City Arena. credits: Adam Cairns / USA TODAY NETWORK

Reigan Richardson scored 10 of her game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter, and seventh-seeded Duke rallied to take down host and No. 2 seed Ohio State 75-63 in Sunday's NCAA Tournament second-round matchup in Columbus, Ohio.

Duke (22-11) will face the winner of No. 3 UConn and No. 6 Syracuse in the Sweet 16 on Saturday. Those two teams play on Monday.

Duke made just two field goals in the first quarter and trailed by 12 points at one point in the period. The deficit swelled to 16 midway through the second quarter before the Blue Devils closed the period on an 18-6 run, capped with a jumper by Richardson.

Duke did not take its first lead until the late third quarter, then seized control midway through the fourth, in part when Richardson scored seven straight points.

Ohio State (26-6) shot a dismal 29.6 percent from the floor in the second half, including 1-of-7 from 3-point range. The trey it hit in the half came late in the fourth quarter when the game was well beyond reach.

Duke recovered from its initial offensive woes to shoot 51.1 percent for the game, paced by Richardson's 11-of-18. Ashlon Jackson went 4-of-6 from the field en route to 13 points, while Taina Mair overcame 1-of-9 shooting from the floor to notch 11 points thanks to 8-of-9 foul shooting.

Cotie McMahon led Ohio State with 27 points. Jacy Sheldon added 13.

—Field Level Media

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