No. 1 Baylor leans on Brown, Akinjo, Flagler to beat Oregon

Published Dec. 19, 2021 12:14 a.m. ET

Associated Press

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Kendall Brown and James Akinjo each scored 17 points and No. 1 Baylor defeated Oregon 78-70 Saturday night.

Adam Flagler made five 3-pointers en route to 16 points for the Bears (10-0), who broke a 51-51 tie with 12 straight points in the second half. Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua had 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds for Baylor.

De’Vion Harmon scored 18 points, Will Richardson had 16 and Jacob Young added 11 for the Ducks (6-6).

Richardson tied the game at 51 with 10:38 left to play before Brown scored five straight points for the Bears. Akinjo added a 3-pointer before Brown scored four in a row to put Baylor ahead 63-51 with 7:11 left to play.

Baylor faced its first double-digit deficit of the season in the first half before closing within 39-35 at halftime.

Baylor scored the first four points of the second half to tie the game before Oregon went back ahead on a basket from Harmon, who later put the Ducks up 49-46. Matthew Mayer made a 3-pointer to put the Bears ahead 51-49 before Richardson tied the game with a basket.

BIG PICTURE

Baylor: The Bears joined Gonzaga this week as the only programs to be ranked No. 1 in three straight seasons, but Baylor was a unanimous No. 1 for the first time in school history. … The Bears are 14-2 all-time as the top-ranked team in the country and will certainly hold that spot for another week. … Baylor won its 34th straight nonconference game, with Alcorn State and Northwestern State left ahead before the start of Big 12 conference play.

Oregon: The Ducks hosted a No. 1 team for the first time at Matthew Knight Arena, which opened in 2010. Oregon last hosted a top-ranked team on Jan. 6, 2007, when it defeated UCLA 68-66. The last time the Ducks hosted a defending national champion was Feb. 21, 1998, when Arizona beat Oregon 81-66.

UP NEXT

Baylor: Host Alcorn State on Monday.

Oregon: Host Pepperdine on Tuesday.

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