No. 7 seed Duke, led by Reigan Richardson's 28 points and 7 rebounds, overcame a 16-point first-half deficit to beat No. 2 seed Ohio State 75-63 on Sunday, securing a spot in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018.
Richardson's 3-pointer put Duke ahead 59-57 with 5:21 remaining, sparking a 13-2 run by the Blue Devils to extend their lead.
Ashlon Jackson scored 13 points and Taina Mair added 11 for the 22-11 Blue Devils, who will face the winner of Syracuse and UConn in Portland, Oregon next weekend.
Richardson, who averaged 11.9 points per game during the season, expressed pride in the team's performance and resilience after being down by 16 points, stating, "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 marked only the second instance of a lower seeded team winning in the tournament, as the higher seeds were 31-1 in the opening round.
Cotie McMahon led the Buckeyes with 27 points, primarily in the paint, as Ohio State only attempted nine 3-pointers and made their first one with 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.
Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff admitted that Duke played better and deserved to win, stating, "We didn’t play well today."
Ohio State's pressing defense initially troubled Duke, allowing the Buckeyes to build a 16-point lead, but the Blue Devils responded with a 12-2 run to cut the deficit to 36-32 at halftime.
Duke coach Kara Lawson commended her team's unwavering determination, saying, "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, Ohio State defeated No. 15 seed Maine 80-57, while Duke rallied in the second half to beat No. 10 seed Richmond.
WHAT HAPPENED?
McGuff said the Buckeyes simply fell apart.
"We were really generating good shots early in the game in the first quarter and we were rebounding the ball with energy and discipline," he said. "Then as the game wore on, we really got out of sync on offense, and Duke was playing really good defense, so they had a hand in that. Then we really broke down with our rebounding."
MAKING ADJUSTMENTS
Lawson mentioned a "shock factor" when her team faced Ohio State’s aggressive press, saying, "It rattled us to start. Once we got our bearings, once we got our rhythm, once we had some success finding scoring, I thought we just played with great poise and confidence and got to the spots we needed to get to. I was just hoping that (Ohio State) barrage in the beginning wasn’t going to put us too far down where we wouldn’t be able to come back."
BYE BYE BUCKEYES
Ohio State's season ended in disappointment on their home court after reaching the regional final last season. It was also the final game in Value City Arena for fifth-year player Sheldon, who had 13 points and averaged 18 points all season.
Sheldon expressed that he still can't believe what happened. He feels disappointed because he thinks they have a lot of regrets and didn't perform their best. Duke played well, but he feels even worse because they didn't give their best performance today.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Reigan Richardson scored 28 points and got seven rebounds as No. 7 seed Duke came back from a 16-point deficit in the first half to defeat No. 2 seed Ohio State 75-63 on Sunday and secure a spot in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018.
