No. 7 Duke pulls off upset vs. No. 2 Ohio State in women’s NCAA Tournament

It took three days for a No. 2 seed to fall in the women’s NCAA Tournament.

The Ohio State Buckeyes, the No. 2 seed in Regional 3, fell 75-63 to the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils on Sunday in Columbus. It is Duke’s first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 2018.

Reigan Richardson, the 5-foot-11 junior guard, led Duke in scoring with 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the floor. Ashlon Jackson (13) and Taina Mair (11) also scored double-digit points for Duke.

Duke’s youth has been evident all season and building some experience has been a process for the Blue Devils. They entered the tournament with just four players from last year’s team that hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Still, there was no fear from Duke in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

In the first round, against Richmond, Duke was down nine points in the second quarter. They came back to win 72-61 in the first round.

They had another comeback on Sunday. Ohio State jumped out to a 16-point lead with five minutes in the second quarter. From that moment on Duke cut the lead to four before halftime and outscored the Buckeyes in every quarter the rest of the way.

A big part of both games was the performance of Richardson. She combined for 53 in two games, making 21-of-36 shots and continued to be the leader the Blue Devils needed.

Not only has Duke now knocked off the second-seeded Buckeyes at home, but it showed how good the Blue Devils can be, despite their youth.

Entering the game, Ohio State was favored by 7.5 points, according to BetMGM. There was a 31.5 percent chance of this upset happening, according to Bracket Breakers.

The Blue Devils will now enter the Sweet 16 with some momentum, confidence and their star player on a hot streak. Duke will play the winner of UConn and Syracuse in Portland, while the Buckeyes will look to rebuild now that Jacy Sheldon’s career is over.

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(Photo: Adam Cairns / Colombus Dispatch via USA Today)