7 Feet 3 UCLA Freshman Aday Mara: Becomes Top Rebounder Within 15 Minutes
After playing just six minutes in UCLA’s 69-71 defeat to Marquette (scoring zero points, grabbing two rebounds, and dishing out one assist), Aday Mara made a comeback to the starting lineup for the Boston Bruins in their 76-48 NCAA Maui Invitational victory over Chaminade.
7 Feet 3 UCLA Freshman Aday Mara: Becomes Top Rebounder Within 15 Minutes
The Maui Invitational saw UCLA defeat Chaminade 76-48 on Tuesday thanks to the 16 points scored by rookie Sebastian Mack and the 13 points contributed by Lazar Stefanovic.
On Wednesday, UCLA (4-1) takes on No. 11 Gonzaga (3-1) in the fifth-place match.
Solid showing last night from UCLA Bruins freshman big man Aday Mara.
The 7'3" freshman has the tools to be an intriguing talent in the middle with serious offensive upside and shot blocking ability.
Finished with 14 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST & 4 BLK in 24 MIN on 6/9 Shooting. Big… pic.twitter.com/qmnrr9MR3h
— No Ceilings (@NoCeilingsNBA) November 16, 2023
For UCLA, Adem Bona scored 12 more points, and Aday Mara pulled down 10 rebounds. Mack went 7 of 15 from the field with six rebounds, five steals, and 25 points in Monday’s 71-69 defeat to No. 4 Marquette.
With 11 minutes left, UCLA had already scored 13 of the first 15 points of the contest and added a 15-0 run to take a 28-4 advantage. The Silverswords were behind 36-21 at the half as Chaminade scored three consecutive 3-pointers to close the gap to 15 points.
UCLA turned it over 14 times in the first half before finishing with 18.
Aday Mara yesterday:
14 points (6/9 FG, 2/2 FT)
4 boards
2 assists
4 blocks pic.twitter.com/k3schzZWWz— Francesco Semprucci (@fra_sempru) November 16, 2023
Mara finishes the game with 5.3 points, two rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 11.8 minutes, surpassing his numbers from his freshman year in the NCAA.
Mara shown exceptional abilities last week as well. Midway through the second half, Mara stunned the audience inside Pauley Pavilion with a feathery jumper, a tipped in ball that had been thrown into the air, and a bounce pass that she slipped between two defenders to teammate Jan Vide for a layup, all in the space of a few minutes.
The first game with big minutes for Aday Mara brought us a glimpse of what he can do. 4 rebounds to go with his 14 points, 2 assists and 4 blocks. Impressive play in the post, with great rim protection. pic.twitter.com/bcp6P0BLWp
— Eurohoops Scouting (@EHoopsScouting) November 16, 2023
After a protracted absence from his Spanish club team, Mara returned to form beautifully in just his third collegiate game. He recorded career highs in all categories and helped the Bruins easily defeat Long Island, winning 78-58.
Mara, who had never played more than 11 minutes as a Bruin before Wednesday, took control of the little Sharks (0-3) early on with a put-back dunk. Before the half, he added three blocks and a baseline sky hook.
🧪 Breaking down Aday Mara’s game vs Long Island.
The Spanish big man, finished the game with 14 points, 4 boards, 2 assists and 4 blocks shooting 6/9 from the floor
🧵Let’s take a look:#NBADraft pic.twitter.com/4TjHKR3hCq
— Draft Lab (@DraftLabNBA) November 19, 2023
“There’s so much to come from him,” Bona said. “And there’s so much the country hasn’t seen and he’s an amazing player and he’s gonna continue to grow and he’s gonna continue to do amazing things.”
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