Berkeley, CA (Sports Network) - Jerome Randle scored 18 points and 13th-ranked California opened its season by holding off Murray State, 75-70, as part of the 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Haas Pavilion.

Theo Robertson added 14 points, Patrick Christopher 13 and Jamal Boykin 12 for the Golden Bears (1-0), who saw a double-digit lead dwindle in the late going.

Mike Montgomery's first season as head coach at Cal was a good one, as the Bears finished third in the Pac-10 Conference and made the NCAA Tournament in 2008-09. Cal returns the majority of the roster from last year's 22-win club, and the Golden Bears are one of the favorites to win the Pac-10 this season.

Ivan Aska had 17 points for Murray State (0-1), which went 19-12 last season. B.J. Jenkins tallied 16 points and Danero Thomas 12 for the Racers.

A layup from Markhuri Sanders-Frison moved the Golden Bears to a 66-52 lead with 5 1/2 minutes left, but Murray State countered with the next seven points. Boykin stemmed the tide with a pair of free throws and it was an uphill battle from there for the Racers.

Robertson came up with a big offensive rebound after Boykin missed a pair of free throws and that turned into a bucket for Randle for a 72-64 cushion with nearly 1 1/2 minutes left.

Donte Poole canned a three-ball with 30.5 seconds to go for a 73-67 margin, but Sanders-Frison sealed the victory at the foul line.

It was tight throughout most of the first half, but Cal pulled to a seven- point lead late and held a 34-26 edge at intermission.

Game Notes

This was the first meeting between Cal and Murray State...The Cal game was the sixth for the Racers all-time against a team from the Pac-10 and the first since a 1986 game against USC in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Races are 2-4 overall in such contests...Murray State head coach Billy Kennedy was an assistant coach at Cal from 1993-97...Cal hosts Detroit on Wednesday, while Murray State's next game is vs. Missouri-St Louis on Saturday.

11/10 01:34:35 ET