Energy and effort were something the Oregon women’s basketball players talked about in the preseason as a big strength of this year’s team, and it was on full display Sunday night at Matthew Knight Arena.

The new Ducks upset No. 12 Baylor, 76-74, fueled by a relentless defensive effort that held the Bears to 41% 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 an early 6-0 lead and Peyton Scott set the tone with her physical play up and down the court. She and Walker got into it, with Walker making an intentional foul after pushing Scott.

Oregon led 13-4 midway through the first quarter, but the shooting quickly cooled.

Baylor was able to pull away on a 10-2 run, buoyed by the defense, trailing 15-14 for one quarter before taking its first lead early in the second.

However, Whitfield led a turnaround for the Ducks midway through the second quarter, and Oregon turned defense into offense as it picked up the pace and scored 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-for-5 shooting.

After a physical, back-and-forth start to the third quarter, Oregon went on an 8–0 run, fueled by Kelly’s playmaking and aggression, to take a 45–35 lead.

Later in the third, Oregon extended its lead to 58-43 after a trio of fastbreak scores, energizing the Matthew Knight Arena crowd, which included Ducks legend and WNBA champion Sabrina Ionescu. Earlier in the evening, Ionescu pulled out the WNBA championship trophy.

And it was energy that brought the Ducks success on both ends, especially on defense, with no better example than Scott as they took on 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 put the run away 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 the score, 72-72, with a pair of free throws with 2:03 left. Oregon kept Phillipina Kyei at center and she often made the difference on defense, but it was also out of necessity when starting center Amina Muhammad made a mistake.

A putback score from Aaronette Vonleh – over Kyei – gave Baylor the 74-72 lead late. Kelly responded with a bucket of his own to get things back in order with a minute left.

Oregon got a stop and coach Kelly Graves called a timeout with 39.8 seconds left to set up a potentially game-winning play. On a drive by Kelly, Oregon’s star guard gifted the ball to Elisa Mevius, who scored on a great layup to give Oregon a 76-74 lead with 21.7 seconds left.

Sarah Andrews missed a three-pointer for the Bears and Oregon was able to corral the rebound. After a timeout, Baylor couldn’t commit the foul and the Ducks ran out the clock for the win.

Next game: Oregon (3-0) vs. North Texas (2-0)

• When: Tuesday, November 12
• Time: 11am 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.