Nov 12, 2021 1 min read

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – It had been 20 months since a California University men’s basketball team last played, but it took only 40 minutes to get a victory over a top-25 opponent.

Senior guard Brent Pegram led five California players in double figures with 23 points and the Vulcans used a late second-half run to secure a 96-92 victory over No. 25-ranked Charleston on Friday night in the opening game of the Mountain East/PSAC Challenge.

Cal used a 8-0 run to turn a four-point lead into a 12-point advantage, 89-77, with less than four minutes remaining in the game. From that point, Charleston never got as close as six points until the game’s final 26 seconds.

Transfer guard Preston Bowell followed Pegram in the scoring column with 20 points. Philip Alston scored 18 points, including four on fast-break layups during the pivotal 6-0 run.

Zyan Collins finished with 16 points, including a steal and layp that gave Cal an 87-77 lead.

Freshman Keith Palek was the fifth Vulcan in double figures with 13 points in his first collegiate game.