Oregon women’s basketball takes down Nevada to move to 2-0 before Baylor showdown

Though the Oregon women’s basketball team didn’t get off to a hot start like it did Monday against Cal Baptist, it took care of business with its defense in a 76-58 win over Nevada Wednesday at Matthew Knight Arena.

The Ducks fell into an early hole in the first quarter, 14-12, before a dominant second quarter set them apart from the Wolf Pack (0-1). Oregon won the second frame, 28-9, holding Nevada to 3-for-13 shooting from the field and forcing eight turnovers.

“When we amp it up defensively, it creates better offense and we just play better,” Oregon coach Kelly Graves said. “We just got more aggressive.”

While the Oregon defense put a lock on the Nevada offense, North Carolina transfer guard Deja Kelly did exactly what she was brought in to do, scoring 21 points on 9-for-13 shooting from the field with three 3-pointers. Fellow senior guard Peyton Scott had 12 points, and Amina Muhammad (13 points) and Alexis Whitfield (10 points) rounded out double-figure scorers.

“We want her to be more aggressive and more assertive,” Graves said of Kelly. “She has showed what she can do when she’s the focal point. I thought she played really, really well with a good floor game.”

What’s next for the Oregon women’s basketball team?

The Ducks (2-0) take on No. 12 Baylor at Matthew Knight Arena at 7 p.m. Sunday Last season, Oregon lost to Baylor in Waco, Texas, 71-51.

Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @AlecDietz.