UCLA
13-6,4-4Big Ten
Wisconsin
15-4,5-3Big Ten
UCLA Men’s Basketball Edges No. 18 Wisconsin, 85-83
January 21, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – Behind standout performances off the bench from Aday Mara and Sebastian Mack, the UCLA men's basketball team edged No. 18 Wisconsin, 85-83, on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.
Mara totaled a career-best 22 points, shooting 7-for-7 from the field and 8-for-12 at the free throw line. The sophomore from Zaragoza, Spain, scored 15 of his team-leading 22 points in the second half.
The Bruins (13-6, 4-4 Big Ten) earned their second consecutive Big Ten Conference victory while snapping Wisconsin's (15-4, 5-3) seven-game win streak. This marked UCLA's third win over an AP ranked opponent this season.
"The time is going to come where he is going to have that kind of game," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "I commend Aday for having a great attitude, and dealing with not playing in the last game and being ready tonight. I thought this was a good matchup for him, with their [Wisconsin's] size. He changed the entire game, no question about it."
In addition to scoring 22 points, Mara finished with five rebounds and two blocks. He played in a season-high 21 minutes, helping the Bruins secure back-to-back wins (versus Iowa and Wisconsin).
Wisconsin shot 51 percent from the field and sank 15 of 30 shots from 3-point range. John Tonje scored 24 points for the Badgers and John Blackwell added 23 points. Tonje finished the game having made 6 of 7 shots from beyond the 3-point arc.
UCLA shot 50.9 percent from the field against Wisconsin, making 6 of 19 attempts from 3-point distance.
Mara and Mack were two of five UCLA players to have scored in double figures, along with Tyler Bilodeau (16 points), Skyy Clark (12 points) and Dylan Andrews (10 points).
Mack provided a massive spark in the second half, scoring 15 of his 19 points in the final 10:05 of the contest. The Chicago native made six of his 12 shot attempts and was 7-for-8 at the free throw line. Bilodeau finished 6-for-10 shooting against Wisconsin, sinking 2 of 4 shots from 3-point distance.
Wisconsin trailed by two points (82-80) with 30 seconds remaining in the game. William Kyle III made a crucial defensive block on an offensive possession from the Badgers, and Clark sunk two free throws on the other end.
Wisconsin made a 3-pointer with less than one second to play, slicing UCLA's cushion to 84-83. The Bruins successfully inbounded the ball, and with 0.2 seconds left, Clark stepped to the free throw line and made his first of two free throw attempts. He intentionally missed the second shot, preventing a full-court heave from Wisconsin.
UCLA opened the second half on an 11-3 run, holding Wisconsin without a field goal for a four-minute stretch during the rally.
Mara continued to deliver productive minutes off the bench, dropping four more baskets and ascending into double-digits (totaling 15 second-half points). He scored on back-to-back possessions, igniting a 9-of-11 shooting stretch that propelled the Bruins to a nine-point lead as the team began to settle into a rhythm on offense.
It became a three-point game with 2:13 remaining, but another score from Mack made it a two-possession game.
Wisconsin seized a 41-36 lead at the halftime break, with 10 of its 15 first-half field goals coming from 3-point distance. The Badgers were highly efficient shooting from range, making 10 of its 18 attempts from beyond the arc. Tonje led the way for the visitors, making five 3-pointers to fuel his 16-point half.
Bilodeau went 4-of-7 from the field with a pair of triples to tally 10 points in the first half.
UCLA started strong, scoring on five consecutive possessions to take a 12-6 lead, thanks to 3-point baskets from Bilodeau and Clark. Wisconsin kept pace by netting three triples of their own in the early minutes, which resulted in a 15-9 UCLA advantage at the under-16 media timeout.
Following a shooting slump that saw UCLA hit only one of their last 11 field goals, the Badgers used a 13-3 run to surge into the lead.
Mara injected some life into the Bruins' offense by scoring two buckets inside, including a thunderous dunk, to whittle the lead to three points with just under five minutes left in the half. The Spaniard made an impact off the bench, scoring seven points in just seven minutes of action.
Wisconsin's lead extended to nine after consecutive baskets by Steven Crowl. However, an intentional foul by the visitors in the final seconds led to two free throws by Mack and a jumper by Bilodeau, trimming the deficit to just four points at halftime.
The Bruins will travel to Seattle to take on Washington inside Alaska Airlines Arena on Friday, Jan. 24. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. (PT). UCLA's contest will be available for viewing on FS1.
