Energy and effort was something Oregon women’s basketball players talked about in preseason as a major strength of this year’s team, and it was on full display Sunday night at Matthew Knight Arena.
The new-look Ducks upset No. 12 Baylor, 76-74, fueled by a relentless defensive effort that held the Bears to 41% shooting and staved off a fourth quarter comeback attempt. Oregon was led by Deja Kelly with 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists; Alexis Whitfield with 16 points and five rebounds; and 12 points from Nani Falatea.
Baylor was a Sweet 16 team last season that returned 80% of its scoring. It was led by Jada Walker with 24 points and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs with 19.
The Ducks took a 6-0 lead early, and Peyton Scott set the tone with her physical play up and down the court. She and Walker got into it, with Walker called for an intentional foul after shoving Scott.
Oregon led 13-4 midway through the first quarter, but its shooting cooled off quickly.
Baylor was able to claw back with a 10-2 run buoyed by its defense, trailing 15-14 through one quarter before taking its first lead early in the second.
Whitfield led a turnaround for the Ducks midway through the second quarter, though, and Oregon turned defense to offense as it turned up the pace and rattled off an 11-0 run to end the first half. Oregon led 35-27 at the break, shooting 50% to Baylor’s 29%, led by Whitfield’s 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting.
After a physical, back-and-forth start to the third quarter, Oregon went on a 8-0 run fueled by the playmaking and aggression of Kelly, taking a 45-35 lead.
Later in the third, Oregon extended its advantage to 58-43 after a trio of fastbreak scores, energizing a Matthew Knight Arena crowd that included Ducks legend and WNBA champion Sabrina Ionescu. Earlier in the night, Ionescu brought out the WNBA championship trophy.
And it was energy that brought the Ducks success on both ends, particularly on defense, with no better example than from Scott as she took a key charge late in the third. Oregon led 62-48 through three.
Baylor fought back with defensive pressure and quick scores of its own early in the fourth, going on a 12-0 run to cut the Ducks lead to 66-62.
Kelly stopped the run with a bucket soon after, but Baylor responded with a three from Walker and a pair of free throws from Littlepage-Buggs to make it a one-point game with 5:40 to go.
Baylor tied it, 72-72, with a pair of free throws with 2:03 left. Oregon kept Phillipina Kyei in at center and she was often a difference-maker on defense, but it was also out of necessity with starting post Amina Muhammad fouled out.
A putback score by Aaronette Vonleh — over Kyei — gave Baylor the 74-72 lead late. Kelly responded with a bucket of her own to tie things back up with a minute left in the game.
Oregon got a stop, and coach Kelly Graves called timeout with 39.8 seconds left to set up a potential winning play. On a drive by Kelly, Oregon’s star guard dished it to Elisa Mevius, who scored on a sweeping layup to give Oregon the 76-74 lead with 21.7 seconds to go.
Sarah Andrews missed a three-pointer for the Bears, and Oregon was able to corral the rebound. After a timeout, Baylor was unable to commit the foul and the Ducks ran the clock out for the win.
Next game: Oregon (3-0) vs. North Texas (2-0)
- When: Tuesday, Nov. 12
- Time: 11 a.m. PT
- Where: Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene
- TV: B1G+
— Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten Conference. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.
