Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun knew UCLA reserve center Aday Mara would be a matchup problem.

“He's certainly one of those guys on their roster that nobody has that. Nobody has that height in today's game,” Calhoun said about the 7-foot-3 sophomore.

In his NCAA tournament debut, Mara picked the Aggies apart early with his passing, flashed his footwork in the post for easy baskets and wreaked havoc on the defensive end.

It all helped seventh-seeded UCLA pull away with a pair of double-digit scoring runs — one in each half — as part of a 72-47 win Thursday in a first-round Midwest Region contest at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.

Mara had a strong all-around performance with 10 points, six rebounds, five blocks and two assists in 20 minutes off the bench. Guard Skyy Clark and wing Eric Dailey Jr. had 14 points apiece in their respective NCAA tournament debuts to lead the Bruins, who shot 48.1% (26 of 54) from the field and made 10 3-pointers.

UCLA (23-10) put the game away with a 16-1 scoring run in the second half. The Bruins held the Aggies without a made field goal for 7 1/2 minutes and owned a commanding 63-37 lead before it was interrupted with 7:55 remaining.

Utah State (26-8), the No. 10 seed, was limited to 30% shooting from the field. The Aggies missed 18 consecutive 3-point attempts at one point and finished 4 of 31 beyond the arc.

Earlier in the day, second-seeded Tennessee (28-7) handled 15th-seeded Wofford, 77-62, to advance to the round of 32.

The Bruins and Volunteers will play Saturday at 6:40 p.m. Pacific Time at Rupp Arena. The game will air on either TBS/TruTV.

UCLA’s passing contributed to a strong shooting start. The Bruins had 14 assists on 16 first-half made field goals.

Utah State, though, hung around for most of the half thanks to its rebounding. The Aggies owned a 10-3 advantage on the offensive glass that led to 14 second-chance points.

Leading 27-25, the Bruins went on a 12-0 run capped by a pair of Kobe Johnson feeds to Mara for dunks.

UCLA led 39-27 at the half and held Utah State without a made field goal over the final 4 minutes, 26 seconds.

The UCLA backcourt had a strong day led by Clark, who made four 3-pointers as part of a 5-of-8 shooting performance from the field.

One first-half sequence summed up Mara’s impact.

He blocked two shots on one possession and ran the floor to produce a turnaround shot.

Even when he was a step slow, his length at 7-foot-3 made it possible to close the gap and recover for the blocked shot to ignite the action.

It helps when the best players play big minutes.

Mara, whose minutes have fluctuated based on conditioning, according to Cronin, spent all of 56 seconds on the bench to start the second half before he was summoned back into the game.

Mara’s presence changed the game and made life tough on the Aggies.

UCLA survived a scare at the 17:42 mark, as Mara briefly left the game after turning his left ankle. He not only returned, but he finished out the game.

The Bruins also got a strong performance from point guard Dylan Andrews, who got the team started off quickly with a pair of 3-pointers to open the contest.

Andrews’ playmaking was strong the rest of the game. The junior had eight assists and just one turnover in 30 minutes.

UCLA had 22 assists on 26 made baskets.