California holds off Wyoming 71-61

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Charlie Moore had 18 points and six assists and Cal's defense stifled Wyoming early in a 71-61 victory Friday night.

The Bears (3-1) led by 22 points with 12 minutes left before disappointing coach Cuonzo Martin when they eased up defensively.

"You have to execute down the stretch. We didn't defend the way we need to," Martin said, referring to the Cowboys (3-2) rallying within five points with barely a minute left. "We got a big lead and I think we were celebrating baskets."

Moore, who scored a Cal freshman-record 38 points in his second college game, reeled off 12 consecutive points for his team during one stretch.

Preseason AP All-American Ivan Rabb, in his second game after missing two with a foot injury, contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds. "It's great having Ivan back. He just makes us a better team," Moore said.

Rabb missed several weeks of practice before making his season debut Monday against San Diego State. Martin said his conditioning is still not where it needs to be, and suggested that contributed to some of his six turnovers.

Graduate transfer Grant Mullins scored 14 and Roger Moute a Bidias had 12 for the Bears, who won their 22nd consecutive game at Haas Pavilion.

First-year Wyoming coach Allen Edwards was pleased his team fought back late in the game, but said Cal's defense took the Cowboys out of their game in the first half.

"The M.O. of the Cal basketball team is tough and gritty. We just played on our heels in the first half. We let their aggression stop us from what we do best," Edwards said. "To be able to cut that thing down to five, I think that shows growth. I wasn't disappointed in our team at all."

Sophomore Justin James came off the bench to score a career-high 28 points for the Cowboys (3-2). Senior Jason McManamen, Wyoming's season scoring leader, shot just 2 for 10 and scored six points.

BIG PICTURE

Wyoming: The Cowboys entered the game ranked 232nd nationally in field-goal percentage at 42.5, and promptly missed their first nine shots. Three nights after converting just 34 percent in a loss at Pacific, Wyoming wound up shooting 37 percent against Cal.

Cal: The Bears still haven't played this season with their full starting lineup available. Former McDonald's All-American Jabari Bird (back) missed his fourth straight game. He scored 14 points in the opening win over South Dakota State, but Rabb sat out that game with a toe injury.

UP NEXT

Wyoming returns to Laramie to begin a five-game homestand on Wednesday against Denver (1-2), which plays twice more before visiting the Cowboys.

Cal faces a potential trap game Sunday at home against Southeastern Louisiana, which began its season 4-1 for the first time in six years. The Lions lost 67-59 at Colorado State on Friday but claimed a road win over Oregon State 10 years ago in their most recent matchup against a Pac-12 team.