The Ohio State Buckeyes hosted the Duke Blue Devils in the second round of the NCAA tournament. This was the second straight season where the Blue Devils advanced to the second round.
A win for the Blue Devils would give them their first trip to the Sweet Sixteen since 2018 and the first in the Kara Lawson era.
This was the final home game for Celeste Taylor and Jacy Sheldon, so the Buckeyes looked to get the win and leave it all on the court.
Upset Alert
Ohio State came out and punched Duke in the mouth early. They were dominant in the paint and on the defensive side of the ball.
After the 8:04 mark in the first quarter, Duke went over 11 minutes without scoring a field goal. They also ran into early foul trouble thanks to Cotie McMahon beasting in the paint.
The Blue Devils finally made a field goal at the 6:43 mark in the second quarter, and that shifted a new gear. Not only were they able to start hitting their shots but Ohio State started running into foul trouble which allowed them to cut into the deficit by making free throws.
They ended the quarter on a 9-2 run to cut the lead to four heading into halftime. Duke's offense settled down and got their rhythm going.
The third quarter was back and forth as both teams took turns making shots. Ohio State maintained the lead, but Duke was close by as they made sure not to let the game get out of hand again.
Another thing that helped the Blue Devils stay close was the Buckeyes' struggles at the free-throw line. They eventually took the lead for the first time thanks to a Delaney Thomas layup.
Duke could not be stopped once they took the lead. Ohio State suffered a huge blow as Big Ten DPOY Celeste Taylor fouled out with less than seven minutes remaining in the game.
Two more players fouled out for Ohio State, and the Blue Devils won the game 75-63 after coming back from a 16-point deficit. This was the third time in the tournament that a team came back from double digits to win the game.
Cotie McMahon finished with 27 points and five rebounds. Jacy Sheldon finished with 13 points and four assists in her final collegiate career game.
The Blue Devils will play the winner of the UConn-Syracuse game.
Coming out Party
The player of the game was Reigan Richardson. She led the team in scoring with 28 points on 61% FG and 100% 3FG. She also led the team with seven rebounds and three steals.
She became the first Duke player to score at least 25 points in back-to-back games in the NCAA tournament since Alana Beard in 2003.
This tournament is a coming-out party for Richardson, who is putting the team on her back and showing the world who she is. It will not be long before the world is put on notice about how good she is.
Photo Courtesy: @DukeWBB/X
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