Aday Mara makes his presence felt in UCLA’s upset win over Wisconsin

After being a bit player in his 1½ college seasons, Aday Mara moved to the front on Tuesday night.

In a massive way.

The 7-foot-3 center left a huge mark on what could have been UCLA’s most significant win of the season.

Mara grabbed rebounds flat-footed, blocked shots and made every shot he took, driving the Bruins to a 85-83 triumph over no. 18 in Wisconsin at Pauley Pavilion, ending the Badgers’ seven-game winning streak while announcing that the Bruins could struggle with opponents’ size.

It took another UCLA big man to finish the job.

Forward William Kyle III, deployed on defense with Wisconsin having a chance to tie 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 other 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 pointless after Clark was fouled on the inbounds pass and made another free throw before intentionally missing the second to keep Wisconsin out off with one last shot. .

Mara was a force far beyond his career-high 22 points on seven-for-seven shooting, his presence disrupting almost everything Wisconsin wanted to do. He added four rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes, which was made even more critical by teammates Tyler Bilodeau and Kobe Johnson battling it out.

It wasn’t easy. After trailing by nine points with less than seven minutes remaining, Wisconsin (15-4 overall, 5-3 Big Ten) pulled within 81-80 with a minute left when Blackwell drained a three-pointer.

With the shot clock wound 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.

Supplemented with a steady diet of Mack driving layups and floaters, the Bruins found an impressive formula. Mack added 19 points, including a series of late baskets to extend UCLA’s lead.

Things tilted 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 quickly 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 pumped her defender out of the way for a dunk that had fans roaring. After trailing by five points just a few minutes earlier, the Bruins were up by three after Mara took an Andrews inbounds pass for a layup.

A short “Mara!” chant erupted as Mara followed another dunk with a blocked shot.

He was just getting started.