LUBBOCK, Texas -- Two games into the Bob Knight era and Texas Tech already has something to put in its trophy case.

Knight, however, wasn't there to accept it.

Andy Ellis had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Andre Emmett scored 18 points to lead Tech past San Diego State 81-71 on Saturday night in the finals of the Red Raider Classic.

When the game ended, Knight shook hands with Aztecs coach Steve Fisher, his former rival when they were at Big Ten foes Indiana and Michigan, and went to the locker room, leaving athletic director Gerald Myers and players to collect their prize: a bronze ball on a wooden base.

"I was thirsty," Knight said.

The Red Raiders (2-0) surprised the Aztecs (1-1) with tight, physical defense and solid offense in the first half, then scored the first basket after halftime to go up by 19. They appeared headed toward another blowout, like their 75-55 victory over William & Mary in the opener.

"I think we just didn't expect them to play as hard as they did," said SDSU's Randy Holcomb, who had 15 points and 13 rebounds. "We didn't expect them to be as good as they were. Before we knew it, we were in a hole."

Then Tech lost its shooting touch. Players said fatigue set in, too, and with 8:17 left the Aztecs were within six. Tech kept the lead around 10 until SDSU made it 76-71 with 46 seconds left.

The Aztecs couldn't finish the comeback as the Red Raiders played keep-away with passes until getting fouled, then hit 5-of-6 free throws in the final half-minute.

"To be on the edge of getting beat after playing so well then coming back is nice," Knight said. "The thing we need to work on most is offensive play. We didn't cut well enough and read well enough to get the most of our offense."

So Knight immediately went to work, having Basketball Hall of Famer John Havlicek -- his teammate at Ohio State in the early 1960s who was in town for his pal's first two games -- address the team about an hour after the game on the importance of moving without the ball and how to do it.

"We're trying to play offense with our hands instead of our feet," Knight said.

Tech made only 8 of 28 shots in the second half, but was saved by making only eight turnovers and outrebounding SDSU 44-34. The Red Raiders had 20 offensive rebounds.

"I saw a lot of Bob Knight in Texas Tech," Fisher said. "He commands the respect of players as a result of what he's done. It's no miracle he's won as many games as he has."

Knight improved to 11-6 against Fisher. The duo are among six coaches to ever win NCAA and NIT titles.

Only 9,638 of 15,050 tickets were sold for this game, about 1,000 fewer than the opener. The United Spirit Arena actually was about half-full and much quieter than Friday night. The student section was especially sparse.

Season tickets are sold out, but this two-day tournament didn't count in the package. The game also tipped off a few hours after the football team lost 30-13 to No. 3 Oklahoma.

Tony Bland, a transfer who played two years at Syracuse, led SDSU with a career-high 24 points, but also committed seven turnovers. Mike Mackell had 10 points and eight rebounds.

Tech starting point guard Will Chavis, who missed his only two shots in nine minutes of the opener, had 17 points and made all five of his 3-point attempts. He had eight points during a 15-2 first-half run, including a long 3-pointer as the shot clock expired.

"Right now, we're still trying to grow as a team," Chavis said. "I think this helped us mesh."