CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Glen Davis said LSU anticipated Oregon State's effort, even if there were times it didn't look like they did.
Davis had 22 points and 13 rebounds and No. 12 LSU fought off a late Beavers' rally for a 60-53 victory Sunday.
"We always expect the best shot from every team," he said. "We've been there, the Final Four, we have notoriety, and it could be my fault."
Garrett Temple added 17 points for the Tigers (6-2).
LSU led by as many as 16 points in the second half, but the Beavers closed the gap to 50-42 on Jack McGillis' 3-pointer with 6:02 left. Sasa Cuic's 3-pointer got Oregon State to 52-47.
After Davis made a free throw, Josh Tarver had a jumper and a foul shot to narrow it to 53-50. Kyle Jeffers could have put Oregon State closer but he missed a pair of free throws with 2:06 left. Tack Minor hit a 3-pointer and Davis made a hard-fought layup as LSU pulled away for the win.
"Anytime you go on the road and win, that's a good thing. But you know as well as I know that we'll have to play better in some situations to beat some of these other teams we're going to play," LSU coach John Brady said. "We did enough tonight to win, and that's a good thing, but we certainly have to play better."
Tarver led the Beavers (6-5) with 13 points. Marcel Jones had 12.
"I felt like we should have won this game and I know a lot of guys in the locker room felt like we could have won this game, but they're a great team and at the end they made the plays to win," Jones said.
Both teams got off to slow starts.
Davis didn't score through the first 10 minutes of the game, and was demonstratively disappointed when a chance he had under the basket bounced off his foot and out of bounds.
But once Davis did hit one, it sparked a 12-3 run for the Tigers that put them ahead 17-11. Davis went on to score 13 in the first half.
Jeffers' turnaround jumper tied it 20-20 for the Beavers, but Temple's layup and Davis' 3-pointer gave LSU a 25-20 lead at the break. The first-half points were season lows for both teams.
Davis said Brady brought the team back to reality at halftime.
"Coach really got up in us, and said we're not playing our best," Davis said.
Oregon State made just eight of 29 shots from the floor (27.6 percent) in the first half, and 32.8 percent for the game. The Beavers had a season-high 11 3-pointers.
Oregon native Ben Voogd, who plays for LSU, hit a 3-pointer that made it 44-28.
Oregon coach Jay John got so frustrated he was called for a technical.
Later, John said OSU's game was "as complete an effort as they've had."
"We have made strides," John said. "I think it became obvious with the caliber of the opponent that we have made strides."
LSU forward Darnell Lazare returned after missing two games with a sprained ankle, but he did not start. Sophomore Magnum Rolle started in his place.
The Tigers were coming off a 76-75 overtime loss to Texas last weekend.
The Beavers had won their last two games, against Bethune-Cookman and Western Oregon.
LSU leads the series against Oregon State 4-1. On Dec. 22, 1969, LSU's Pete Maravich hit 30 of 31 free throws and scored 46 points in a 76-68 victory in Corvallis.
