Duke rejoins March Madness, defeats Iona in first round

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Celeste Taylor and Elizabeth Balogun each scored 13 points and Duke marked its return to NCAA Tournament action with an 89-49 romp past Iona on Saturday night. It was the first NCAA Tournament win for Duke since 2018, when it last had a spot in the tournament. Kennedy Brown and Jordyn Oliver added 10 points apiece as the Blue Devils shot 57.1% from the field. Third-seeded Duke will face sixth-seeded Colorado in Monday’s second round. Ketsia Athias led No. 14 seed Iona with 20 points. Juana Camilion had 12.