UCLA had just given up back-to-back offensive rebounds midway through the second half when a roar emerged from the small crowd inside Pauley Pavilion.
The few fans who showed up were cheering the massive young man lumbering toward the scorer’s table to check into the game against Cal State Fullerton for the first time.
The volume only went up every time Aday Mara touched the ball.
On his first opportunity Friday night, the sophomore center made a layup in traffic. The next time he took a pass, a murmur built into a crescendo as he rose for a jump hook.
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When he took a pass that guard Kobe Johnson zipped between two defenders for a dunk, the crowd erupted. There was more to cheer when a Mara block led to a layup by teammate Eric Dailey Jr. Finally, some fans rose from their seats in appreciation of his lob dunk from guard Trent Perry.
The 7-foot-3 Mara’s contribution in just a handful of minutes matched his massive size and added some needed pizzazz to the Bruins’ 80-47 victory over the Titans.
UCLA coach Mick Cronin rewarded Mara for his strong play by leaving him in for the rest of the game, even allowing him to play alongside fellow big man William Kyle III. Mara finished with 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 13 minutes.
Mara’s play was encouraging for a team seeking stability in the frontcourt after the departure of Adem Bona to the NBA. Cronin has said he eventually wants to play Kyle alongside starting forwards Tyler Bilodeau and Dailey but needed to see more from Mara to make that happen.
What Mara showed Friday was the most encouraging sign of the season.
Johnson sparked his team’s strong defensive effort with a career-high-tying six steals as UCLA (5-1) scored 27 points off the 21 turnovers it forced. Johnson added 12 points, six rebounds and five assists in his best all-around effort as a Bruin. Dailey and Bilodeau added 11 points apiece.
UCLA’s defense triggered a big chunk of its offense on the way to building a 39-25 halftime lead.
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In a sign of things to come, the Bruins forced the Titans (1-5) into a shot-clock violation on the game’s first possession. A highlight sequence came shortly after when Johnson snagged a steal and threw an outlet pass to Dylan Andrews, who found a trailing Dailey with a bounce pass for a ferocious one-handed dunk.
Only 7½ minutes into the game, UCLA had tallied five steals and forced seven turnovers leading to nine points. Johnson piled up four steals by halftime, showing a glimpse of why Cronin had labeled him a potential candidate for defensive player of the year.
Just the mention of Fullerton might have given Cronin the heebie-jeebies. The last time the Titans came to Pauley Pavilion, during Cronin’s first season, UCLA’s Prince Ali committed a terrible turnover on the Bruins’ final possession and Fullerton came away with a 77-74 victory.
There would be no upset this time. Not even close.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.