Pirates compete at Cal

Staff Report
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BERKELEY, CA — California held off a determined upset bid by East Carolina for a 70-62 win at Haas Pavilion on Friday night.

The Pirates (2-1) were within 64-61 after Prince Williams made a pair of free throws with 2:14 to go.

Jabari Bird scored on an assist by Ivan Rabb with 1:53 remaining and Tyrone Wallace hit two from the line with 39 seconds left as the No. 15 Bears were able to move to 3-0.

Caleb White and Mike Zangari had 17 points each for ECU. White was 6-for-6 on free throws and Zangari was 5-for-5 in matching his career high.

Cal was a 20-point favorite in the Pirates' first basketball game in the state.

The Bears jumped out to an 8-1 lead and ECU didn't have a field goal until Zangari connected from behind the arc with 13:48 left in the first half.

A 3-pointer by freshman Kentrell Barkley put the Pirates ahead 9-8 with 12:25 to go in the half.

Jaylen Byrd's layup on an assist by Stephen Domingo put Cal ahead to stay at 17-15 with 6:50 left in the first half.

An 8-0 run gave the Bears a 27-17 lead but the Pirates closed within 31-26 at the half.

Cal led 55-44 with eight minutes to go before ECU trimmed the deficit again.

The Pirates made 21 of 25 free throws but were outrebounded, 45-26. The Bears gave themselves plenty of opportunities for offensive caroms as they made just three of 23 attempts from long range.

Barkley had nine points for the Pirates.

Wallace led Cal with 20 points. Jaylen Brown tallied 16 in the win. Rabb finished with 14 and Bird netted 10.

"We knew East Carolina would play hard and they did," said Bears coach Cuonzo Martin.

ECU visits San Diego State on Monday night at 10, Eastern time. Pirates coach Jeff Lebo said his team would build on the effort against the Bears, which included just 10 turnovers.

"That should give us some confidence," Lebo said. " ... I told the guys this game is going to make us better. We didn't win the game. We're disappointed in the loss but late in the game with three minutes to go we had a chance on the road against Cal. That's something to build upon. ... We'll have two days of practice here to get ready for another road game."

PAGE UPDATED 11/21/15 03:06 AM.

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