Richardson scores 25 as Duke rallies in second half to beat Richmond 72-61 in women’s March Madness

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Reigan Richardson scored 25 points and had seven rebounds as Duke rallied in the second half to overtake Richmond 72-61 in a first-round women’s NCAA Tournament game Friday.

No. 7 seed Duke (21-11) advances to play Ohio State on Sunday, following the Buckeyes’ 80-57 rout of Maine in a first-round contest earlier in the day..

The Blue Devils battled back from a nine-point deficit at halftime, going ahead 42-41 with 4:42 left in the third quarter and never relinquishing the lead again.

Ashlon Jackson added 14 points and Kennedy Brown had 10 for Duke.

Grace Townsend led Richmond (29-6) with 18 points, Addie Budnik had 17 and Maggie Doogan added 15.

Richmond hit 8 of 10 3-point tries in the first half, with Budnik going 4 for 5 and Maggie Doogan hitting 3 of 4. The Spiders shot 58% in the half and led Duke 37-28 at the break. But they cooled off in the second half, hitting just 2 of 8 from 3-point range.

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Duke will play No. 2 seed Ohio State on Sunday to determine who goes to Portland for the Sweet 16 round.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

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