LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- David Tairu is the spark Texas Tech coach Pat Knight wanted when he recruited the junior college transfer.
Tairu scored 19 points to lead Texas Tech past Oregon State 64-60 in the Duel in the Desert tournament Sunday.
"I'm not surprised," Knight said of Tairu's offensive and defensive influence. "That's how he played in junior college. He just got all over them."
The Beavers battled back from a 14-point deficit to pull even with the Red Raiders (3-0) at 50-50 with 4:11 remaining in the game.
The score stayed close until Tairu and Mike Singletary hit back-to-back 3s to put the Red Raiders ahead 60-54 with 59 seconds remaining, putting the game out of reach for Oregon State (1-2).
Seth Tarver scored 17 points to lead the Beavers.
Knight said beating a Pac-10 opponent "really helps us," meaning that his Red Raiders need to be successful over teams from a "power conference," like the Big 12. Last season the Red Raiders won just three conference games.
And "to come away 3-0, that's the best we could hope for," Knight said.
Knight has stressed defense relentlessly since last season. The work seems to be paying off.
"Defensively, I've like what I've seen in all three games," said Knight, who is in his second full season leading the Red Raiders.
Craig Robinson, the Beavers coach, said some first-half chances were missed.
"I thought our energy coming out in the second half was much better," he said. "The first half we had some opportunities we couldn't cash in on. It was our defense that let us down, and usually our defense doesn't let us down."
Tairu, who was named MVP of the tournament, was 6-of-11 from the field and hit 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.
He credited teammates John Roberson and Nick Okorie for his performance.
"They were driving to the lane and kicking it out for me to get open and be able to shoot the ball," Tairu said.
The Beavers outrebounded the Red Raiders 35-23. Joe Burton of Oregon State had a game-high nine rebounds.
Texas Tech went up 25-11 in the first half, but the Beavers slowly crept back. Six Red Raiders turnovers helped Oregon State put together an 11-5 run to close the half. Freshman Mike Davis hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Texas Tech a 30-24 lead at the break.
Roeland Schaftenaar, Joe Burton and Calvin Hayes started to click in the second half, keeping the Beavers close. Oregon State took its first lead since early in the game when Schaftenaar hit a jumper and a free throw for a 47-45 lead with 6:52 remaining.
Tairu hit two free throws for the game's first tie, 50-50, before Hayes hit two field goals. Texas Tech's D'walyn Roberts and Darko Cohadarevic then scored consecutive field goals before Singletary and Tairu hit their 3s to seal the win.
