Baylor pulls upset win over fourth-ranked Oregon 66-49

WACO, Texas --- Before Tuesday’s afternoon matchup with fourth-ranked Oregon, Baylor forward Ish Wainright said the team’s loss visiting the Ducks last season was still a driving force for the Bears. That force was prevalent early on in the 66-49 win.

After Oregon scored after the winning the tip-off, the Bears pulled away with a consistent lead pushing the ball early and often. With forward Jonathan Motley making his season debut, the junior’s presence was a true distraction for the Ducks. When he had control, the Ducks crowded around him and left guards Manu Lecomte and Al Freeman on islands.

Lecomte struggled to land shots during the season opener Friday, but the point guard opened the afternoon 3-of-3 from three-point range. Freeman also landed a trey midway through the first half pushing the Bears lead to 25-14. These same plays also set up Jake Lindsey with a three-pointer to close out the half off a Lecomte dish to go up 33-23.

When either Lecomte or Freeman held on to the trigger, it was Motley that was allowed to shine. True to a Scott Drew offense, it was constant ball movement that helped Baylor jump to a commanding lead. Through the first half, Baylor had nine assists. Lecomte who had 10 assists in his debut was hardly the only one getting teammates involved. It was well-spread with even Jo Lual-Acuil moving the ball for open shots with low risk. The Bears finished with 18 assists and only 11 turnovers. Oregon had 11 assists to 10 turnovers.

The aggressive movement did come at a cost, however. Baylor had two shot clock violations late in the first half that helped Oregon go on a late mini-run thanks in part to a Acuil violation. But Baylor fans hardly minded as Acuil blocked four shots in the first 20 minutes alone. One of which ended in an assist to Wendell Mitchell. Acuil finished the day with seven blocks.

He also helped control the glass with 11 rebounds in the first half and had 14 on the day. Six of those came on offense. The fifth-year junior had some difficulty translating that into points though. He made just 3-of-7 shots from the field and was 2-of-5 from the line. His second half opened with two missed shots ending in Oregon points to draw the game to a 33-32 lead off a nine-point run.

Baylor found its mojo again with an alley-oop from Lecomte to Wainright. It was one of Lecomte’s seven assists.

Shortly after Wainright’s moment, Oregon replicated the play with a pass to Chris Boucher from Casey Benson steering away from the perimeter shots Baylor stopped all day. The Ducks finished the afternoon just 3-of-21 from distance.

Such was not the case for Baylor as the Bears shot 6-of-12 from range. That success translated well on the interior as well. All told, Baylor was 25-of-55 from the field led by Motley shooting 8-of-15. He finished his first game with a second-leading 17 points. Lecomte led the way with 18 points off his four three-pointers.

Fans were fully aware of his return following his two monstrous dunks in the final quarter to help put the Bears up by double digits. That was part of a 12-4 run that also saw Wainright get in on the fun with his own outback off a missed layup. The senior forward finished with four points but added six assists.

For good measure, Acuil also laid down his own dunk on Baylor’s mounting lead with under three minutes to go at 64-48. Oregon’s final score of 49 points was its lowest since 2013.