CORVALLIS - Taylor Lilley had already attempted 10 three-point shots when twice in the final two minutes she drove around screens by Ellyce Ironmonger and strolled to the basket for uncontested layups.
Yes, the Ducks made it look that easy on offense.
In the Pac-10 Conference women's basketball opener for both teams, Oregon parlayed its most efficient offensive showcase of the season into a 76-72 victory over Oregon State in an entertaining Civil War before 3,036 at Gill Coliseum.
"This is a really big win for us," said Lilley, who scored 21 points. "They made their runs. Luckily we got some stops and we were able to score on the offensive side. It felt good."
Oregon (7-5, 1-0), which entered the game ranked ninth in the conference in scoring and ninth in field-goal percentage, scored a season high in points and shot a season-best 52.7 percent overall.
Much of that had to do with the Ducks' success at getting to the rim, as exemplified by Lilley's two key layups in the final minutes.
The score was tied 62-62 when Tamika Nurse drove through the right side of the lane for a layup, putting the Ducks ahead for good with 2:56 left.
Micaela Cocks followed with a three-pointer and, after an Oregon State (7-5, 0-1) basket, senior guard Kaela Chapdelaine added another layup to make it 69-64 with 2:07 left.
Oregon State's Brittney Davis, who scored a game-high 23 points, had two free throws to cut the Oregon lead to three. That's when Ironmonger set a screen and held off Oregon State's post defender, Tiffany Ducker, clearing a wide-open path for Lilley, who flicked in a right-handed layup with 1:37 left.
Former Duck Ashley Allen, fouled on a three-point attempt, made two free throws to bring OSU back within three.
Lilley again was given the ball at the top of the key and, in almost an identical play, rolled to the right and used an Ironmonger pick to easily get to the hoop.
That pushed the Oregon lead to 73-68 with 28 seconds to go.
"Taylor is an awesome shooter, but she's one of the most intelligent basketball players I've been around in terms of her ability to make reads and her ability to make clutch decisions," UO coach Bev Smith said. "And that's why we've gone to her in those moments."
Freshman forward Ellie Manou, who missed two games with a foot injury, returned for Oregon, scoring eight points and grabbing six rebounds in 10 minutes off the bench.
Another freshman post player Nicole Canepa, did not play because of a sprained ankle. Smith said Canepa would probably be available when the Ducks host Arizona State on Thursday.
With the front-court depth limited, Ironmonger picked up the slack.
"Setting screens and helping other players get open has been a really big thing for me lately," said Ironmonger, a freshman center from Australia.
"Screens is something I've really had to work on. The guards have been really good at taking the open lane and driving to the basket."
The game featured nine ties and 16 lead changes.
Oregon led 35-31 at halftime and led 40-33 less than two minutes into the second half.
Oregon State then went on an 11-0 run, and the Ducks eventually answered with a 15-4 run and led 57-50 with 6:25 to go.
A 10-2 run gave the Beavers a 60-59 lead before Chapdelaine's three-point play put the Ducks back on top, 62-60.
"It was a game of runs, and they had the most important run, which was the one at the end of the game," Oregon State coach LaVonda Wagner said.
Including Lilley, four Ducks scored in double figures. Cocks scored 13 points on 4-for-6 shooting, Nurse had 12 off the bench and Ironmonger had 10 points and eight rebounds.
Chapdelaine, playing much of the game in the post, had eight points, nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks. The Ducks were 8-for-20 on three-point attempts and 10-for-11 at the free-throw line.
"Offensively, if we can get this kind of scoring again in different ways from different people, I like our chances," Smith said.
Smith said she was pleased that the Ducks didn't panic when Oregon State rallied.
"It's probably one of the most composed teams I've had in my seven years, and ironically it's the youngest team I've had," she said.