Ames scores 25 and Pippen adds 23 as Cal holds off Utah, 79-72

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) Dai Dai Ames scored 25 points and Justin Pippen added 23 points to power Cal past Utah, 79-72 on Tuesday night.

Ames (9-for-14) and Pippen (8-for-15) each had efficient shooting nights for the Golden Bears as they moved to 7-1 for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

Cal shot 45% from the field and 39% from deep, and held Utah to 42% and 29% marks, respectively. The Golden Bears also shot 92% from the charity stripe (22 of 24).

John Camden scored 13 points (4-of-7 shooting), and Lee Dort grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

Utah took the lead early in the first half, but Cal battled back to claim the lead for good with 1:04 remaining in the frame. They did not trail for the entirety of the second, though the Utes got to within two points with 3:21 left in regulation.

Terrence Brown led with 15 points, and Keanu Dawes and Seydou Traore each added 14 points for the Utes (6-3). Dawes added nine rebounds and dished five assists to pace his team in both categories.

Utah hosts California Baptist and Cal hosts Pacific on Saturday.

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