CORVALLIS, Ore. – Ahmad Starks scored a career-high 33 points and Oregon State defeated New Mexico State 71-62 in a regional game of the 2K Sports Classic on Sunday night.

Joe Burton added 13 points for the Beavers, who improved to 2-0 on the season.

It was the opener for the Aggies, who went 26-10 last season and won the Western Athletic Conference tournament for a trip to the NCAA tournament.

	Thursday NMSU vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 8 p.m.

Tyrone Watson and Daniel Mullings had 14 points apiece for New Mexico State, which trailed by as many as 14 points after leading by six early in the first half.

Poor shooting and an inability to stop Starks combined to undo the Aggies. NMSU shot just 36 percent from the field, was 1 for 11 from 3-point range and missed 13 free throws.

The Beavers, meanwhile, shot 42 percent, hit four 3-pointers – two of them by Starks – and hit 17 of 21 foul shots.

Oregon State built its largest lead, 62-48, with 8:38 remaining and still held a 13-point margin with 4:30 left. But the Aggies made things interesting with a late charge, cutting the deficit to 68-62 on a Bandja Sy free throw with 55 seconds left.

NMSU then forced a turnover, but Terrel de Rouen missed a 3-point attempt with 37 seconds left and the Beavers held on.

— This article appeared on page B5 of the Albuquerque Journal