Published Dec 4, 2024
Bench lifts UCLA to 69-58 win over Washington in Big Ten opener
Tracy McDannald Ā ā€¢Ā  BruinBlitz
Staff Writer
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@Tracy_McDannald

LOS ANGELES ā€” The UCLA bench produced 26 points, including a team-high-tying 16 from gaurd Sebastian Mack, as part of a 69-58 win over Washington in the first-ever Big Ten Conference contest for both teams Tuesday at Pauley Pavilion.

UCLA (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten) had three players score in double figures, including 16 points from forward Tyler Bilodeau and 12 from point guard Dylan Andrews.

The Bruins, who shot 41.7% (25 of 60) from the field and extended their winning streak to six games, also got a key first-half spark from backup center Aday Mara, who had four points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks.

Washington (6-2, 0-1 Big Ten), which had its five-game winning streak snapped, was paced by 14 points and nine rebounds from forwards Great Osobor. However, he also had eight of the Huskies' 12 turnovers.

The Bruins will travel to Eugene for a Sunday afternoon contest at Oregon. Tip-off at Matthew Knight Arena is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will air on Big Ten Network.

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Postgame press conference

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Turning point of the game

Mara was an early contributor after coming off the bench and checking in at the 15:27 mark.

Tied 9-9, the Bruins then proceeded to outscore the Huskies 14-3 thanks to Mara's presence.

Among the 7-foot-3 center's highlights were a putback dunk and an offensive rebound he wrestled away from a Washington player before another putback.

All that stopped Mara was his second foul at the 8:11 mark, with the crowd giving him a rousing ovation as he walked back to the bench and UCLA led 23-12.

The Huskies responded with a 9-0 run of their own after Mara checked out to pull within 23-21 and force a Bruins timeout with 4:19 left in the half.

UCLA was able to stay in front and led 29-24 at the half.

The Bruins went without a made field goal for more than three minutes before a mid-range jump shot by Andrews immediately ignited a string of five consecutive made baskets.

An 11-0 run during the flurry pushed UCLA's lead to 56-43 with 9:06 remaining and Washington never made a serious threat the rest of the way.

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Bruins standout on offense: F Tyler Bilodeau/G Sebastian Mack

Bilodeau got off to a strong start, scoring the Bruins' first seven points. As a result, the Huskies sent a double team almost immediately upon every catch in the post.

Bilodeau was 6 of 8 from the field.

When the offense went stagnant, Mack was able to bull his way into the lane and get to the free-throw line to help maintain the Bruins' advantage before the team caught fire from the field.

Mack was 7 of 12 at the line.

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Bruins standout on defense: C Aday Mara

It was primarily all done in the first half, as the sophomore used all of his height to block a pair of shots, alter others and even force a wild pass out of bounds just by simply keeping his hands up and active.

Why UCLA won

The Bruins were able to weather a 12-of-34 first-half performance from the field by owning a 10-3 advantage in offensive rebounds that contributed to 9-4 edge in second-chance points at the break.

Both of those advantages tailed off in the second half, but then UCLA shot 13 of 26 in the second half and 6 of 10 on 3-point attempts after the break.

It helped make up for a defense that produced just six steals and owned a slim 18-11 advantage in points off turnovers.

Notable UCLA stats

Starters

PG Dylan Andrews: 12 pts on 5/12 FGs (2/4 3-ptrs), 2 assts, 2 TOs

G Skyy Clark: 6 pts on 2/7 FGs (2/5 3-ptrs), 1 asst

G Kobe Johnson: 3 pts on 1/7 FGs, 3 rebs, 2 assts, 1 stl

G/F Eric Dailey Jr.: 6 pts on 3/7 FGs, 4 rebs, 4 assts, 1 stl

F Tyler Bilodeau: 16 pts on 6/8 FGs, 9 rebs, 2 assts, 2 stls

Bench

G Sebastian Mack: 16 pts on 4/12 FGs (7/12 FTs), 5 rebs, 3 assts, 1 stl

C Aday Mara: 4 pts on 2/2 FGs, 5 rebs, 2 blks