Colorado knocks off Duke in OT in March Madness thriller

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Quay Miller had 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Aaronette Vonleh converted two overtime baskets in the lane after picking up her fourth foul, helping No. 6 seed Colorado beat third-seeded Duke 61-53 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday night.

Jaylyn Sherrod had 14 points and Vonleh finished with 12 as the Buffaloes (25-8) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 20 years.

Elizabeth Balogun scored 14 points and Reigan Richardson had 10, but the Blue Devils didn’t hit a field goal in overtime. Duke overcame a 13-point deficit in regulation.

Next up for Colorado is Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the Seattle 4 Region semifinals.

Duke lost for the third time in its last four second-round home games in the NCAA tourney.

Sherrod scored on a drive with 33.9 seconds left in regulation, but missed a free throw to leave the game tied at 50-all.

That capped a hectic stretch.

Balogun made a corner 3 and Vanessa de Jesus scored on a fast break as Duke turned a three-point deficit into a 48-46 lead with 3:34 to go.

Celeste Taylor’s layup pushed Duke’s advantage to 50-46 before Sherrod’s drive gave Colorado its first points in more than 3½ minutes. The Buffaloes got a defensive stop, called timeout and set up Sherrod’s tying basket.

Duke pulled even on Richardson’s 3 with 3:30 to play in the third quarter. Two minutes later, Taylor’s steal and layup gave the Blue Devils their first lead.

Colorado didn’t score in the last four minutes of the third quarter and the drought extended to more than 6½ minutes. Frida Formann’s 3 gave the Buffaloes a lead again.

Colorado led 32-26 at halftime, boosted by Miller’s 15 points. The teams combined for 24 first-half turnovers, with Duke committing 13 of them.

BIG PICTURE

Colorado: The Buffaloes hadn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2003 before Saturday night’s victory over Middle Tennessee.

Duke: The Blue Devils reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in coach Kara Lawson’s three seasons, but it was a bitter end as the Blue Devils crumbled on offense. They shot 31.7% from the field and committed 21 turnovers.

TIP-INS

Colorado was in its fourth game that extended into overtime, improving to 2-2. Duke played beyond 40 minutes for the first time this season. ... Vonleh picked up her third foul 11 seconds into the second half and didn’t get another one until overtime. ... Duke finished 14-2 at home, with the other loss to rival North Carolina to end the regular season.

UP NEXT

Colorado will play second-seeded Iowa on Friday.