LOS ANGELES -- UCLA (13-6, 4-4) held on for a 85-83 victory in a nail biter against conference rival no. 18 Wisconsin (15-4, 5-3) Tuesday, Jan, 21 at Pauley Pavilion.
UCLA sophomore center Aday Mara was the story of the game. After not playing against Iowa in the last game, Mara shot a perfect 7-7 from the field, including several thunderous dunks that energized the team. The seven-foot-three center was also stellar at drawing fouls in such a physical matchup, going to the line for 11 FT attempts and sinking eight.
“It feels good,” Mara said. “It was just the result… of a lot of weeks practicing hard.”
“He’s been working hard,” UCLA sophomore guard Sebastian Mack said about Mara. “For him to come out here and be ready for us when we need it most, it was perfect.”
The first half saw an even exchange of scoring between the two teams. The Bruins led throughout the first ten minutes of play but were not able to gain substantial ground.
Wisconsin took the lead 11:35 into the half, but they too were unable to breakaway on the scoreboard.
The Badgers were lethal from three, that fact was undeniable. A three from near the logo by Wisconsin graduate guard John Tonje put the Badgers up 35-30 with 2:16 remaining in the first half. Over half the Badgers’ total points came from beyond the arc: they finished the game 15-30 from three.
Wisconsin outscored the Bruins 12-3 in a late first half run to pad their lead 41-32 with under a minute left in the half.
Two Bruin free throws and a last-second jumper by UCLA junior forward Tyler Bilodeau cut the Wisconsin lead down 41-36 going into halftime.
Mara slammed down a dunk to return the lead to the Bruins 45-44 in the second half after fighting through a mass of Wisconsin defenders under the hoop.
“[Mara] changed the whole game,” UCLA head coach Mick Cronin said.
Some words were exchanged between the UCLA and Wisconsin sides following a pair of technical fouls, one on UCLA senior guard Kobe Johnson and the other on Wisconsin sophomore guard John Blackwell. The two benches began to exchange some more words before being quickly broken up by officials and returned to their respective huddles.
A 6-0 run by the Bruins finally gave them a bit of breathing room, leading the Badgers 62-57 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game.
Back-to-back trips to the charity stripe by Mack and Mara put the Bruins ahead 77-69 with 3:41 remaining in the game, and the home crowd at Pauley Pavilion smelled Badger blood in the water, letting out deafening shouts almost every time Wisconsin held the ball.
The Badgers were down, but not out. They scored 11 points in two minutes to battle all the way back and breathe down the Bruins ’ necks 81-80 with under a minute left.
Mack drew a foul and sank one free throw for insurance.
Wisconsin sophomore guard John Blackwell charged down the court, looking to save the game for his team. Blackwell pulled up in traffic and shot as he was falling to the ground, a shot that would have tied the game were it good.
But then, recognizing the attempt, UCLA junior forward William Kyle III leaped at the last moment and rejected the shot to preserve the Bruins’ lead. Kyle III played just six minutes, less than any other Bruin, but saved the game when it came down to it.
“It was crazy,” Mack said about Kyle III’s block. “I was just trying to get the rebound, and then when I see the ball and him just flying… that right there, that helped us a lot. Him being ready as well… that just shows that as a team we’re starting to click.
Skyy Clark then drew a foul. He sank both shots, the second danced perilously around the rim, carrying all the hopes of Pauley Pavilion with it, until it mercifully fell through the hoop to put UCLA ahead 84-80.
Those insurance points proved vital. Tonje pulled up for yet another three and sank it, coming within one of the Bruins 84-83 with 00.5 left in the game.
Without Kyle's block or Clark’s free trip, Tonje’s three could have been the dagger that sealed a Wisconsin comeback. Instead, the Bruins held on. A final foul on Clark yielded another free throw and a last minute Badger attempt at a full court miracle fell well short as the buzzer sounded and UCLA claimed the win.
The Bruins next travel to Seattle to face off against the Washington Huskies Friday, Jan. 24 at 8 pm.
