Having been just a bit player in his 1½ college seasons, Aday Mara moved to the forefront Tuesday night.
In a massive way.
The 7-foot-3 center left a giant imprint all over what might have been UCLA’s most significant victory of the season.
Grabbing rebounds flatfooted, blocking shots and making every shot he took, Mara powered the Bruins to an 85-83 triumph over No. 18 Wisconsin at Pauley Pavilion, ending the Badgers’ seven-game winning streak while announcing that the Bruins could contend with an opponents’ size.
It took another UCLA big man to finish the job.
Forward William Kyle III, inserted for defense with Wisconsin having a chance to tie the score or take the lead, did his job to perfection, blocking John Blackwell’s jumper with nine seconds left. UCLA’s Skyy Clark grabbed the rebound and was fouled, making both free throws after the second bounced around the rim and fell through the net.
Wisconsin guard John Tonje’s three-pointer with seven-tenths of a second left added drama but ultimately proved meaningless after Clark was fouled on the inbounds pass and made another free throw before intentionally missing the second so that Wisconsin couldn’t get off a final shot.
Mara was a force well beyond his career-high 22 points on seven-for-seven shooting, his presence disrupting nearly everything Wisconsin wanted to do. He added four rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes made all the more critical by teammates Tyler Bilodeau and Kobe Johnson fouling out.
It wasn’t easy. After having trailed by nine points with less than seven minutes left, Wisconsin (15-4 overall, 5-3 Big Ten) pulled to within 81-80 with one minute left when Blackwell drained a three-pointer.
With the shot clock winding down, UCLA’s Sebastian Mack drove and was fouled with 30 seconds left. He made just one of two free throws, giving the Badgers another chance.
Complemented by a steady diet of Mack driving layups and floaters, the Bruins found an impressive formula. Mack added 19 points, including an array of late baskets to extend UCLA’s lead.
Things were tilting heavily in UCLA’s direction with 7:59 left when center Mara blocked Steven Crowl’s three-pointer, leading to a Wisconsin shot-clock violation. The Bruins soon held a 70-61 lead and all the momentum after Dylan Andrews made a baseline jumper.
Mara had been a revelation long before UCLA (13-6, 4-4) went big early in the second half, pairing its tallest player with Bilodeau.
After Bilodeau made a spinning layup, Mara pump-faked his defender out of the way for a dunk that had fans roaring. Having trailed by five points only a few minutes earlier, the Bruins were up by three after Mara took an Andrews entry pass for a layup.
A brief “Mara!” chant broke out when Mara followed another dunk with a blocked shot.
He was just getting started.