UCLA Sophomore Turned in Career Game

The UCLA Bruins took down the Lehigh Mountain Hawks on Friday, and sophomore center Aday Mara had a game to remember.

Nov 15, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins center Aday Mara (15) dunks the ball against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins defeated the Lehigh Mountain Hawks on Friday by a score of 85-45. While many Bruins contributed to the win, sophomore center Aday Mara had himself a game to remember.

Now in his second season with the Bruins, Mara has already built off of his freshman season in the four games UCLA has played. Mara played in 28 games last season for the Bruins and started eight of them.

The Bruins center hails from Zaragoza, Spain, and is on pace to beat his season total in points from last season. In the 2023-24 season, Mara put up 98 points and 54 rebounds and had a 44.2 field goal percentage.

Last season, Mara's best game came against Long Island University, when he played for 24 minutes, had four rebounds, and dropped 14 points. It only took Mara four games into the current season to set himself a new career high in points.

In the victory on Friday, Mara had 16 points and six rebounds, only missed one of eight field goal attempts, and played for 13 minutes. While his time on the court was less than his best game in the 2023-24 season, his production was showcased.

Only one player scored more points than Mara, and that was Eric Dailey Jr., who put up 17 points in 26 minutes played. UCLA's Tyler Bilodeau gave Mara his flowers after the dominant win and the gameplan they rolled into the game with.

"Aday had a strong finish, Aday is great," Bilodeau said. "A lot of improvement in that area (going inside), we just have to keep improving that area, pounding in the paint, but I thought it was a good night."

Mara, in the four games, has seen his average points per game go up compared to last season while averaging the same amount of time on the court. His rebound numbers have jumped the most since last season, when he averaged 1.9 rebounds. He is currently averaging 3.8 rebounds per game.

The Bruins will be back on the floor Wednesday when they host Idaho State, as Mara and the rest of the team will look to improve their record to 4-1.

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