LOS ANGELES — Adem Bona had his first double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds and 7-foot-3 freshman Aday Mara delivered a strong performance in his first college start to power UCLA to a 78-58 win against Long Island University on Wednesday night at Pauley Pavilion.
It was the second 20-point game of the season for Bona, who also had three blocked shots and three steals. Mara, a center, had 14 points and four blocks and freshman guard Jan Vide had 12 points and seven assists. The trio of high scorers combined to shoot 20 for 28 as the Bruins (3-0) shot 57% (30 for 53) from the field despite missing all five of their 3-point attempts.
UCLA closed the first half on a 13-3 run to lead 35-17 at the break then stretched the margin to 30 points before the midway point of the second half against an overmatched LIU team that shot just 35% overall and was outrebounded 41-20.
Mara, from Zaragoza, Spain, started alongside Bona, sophomore guard Will McClendon, junior guard Lazar Stefanovic and freshman guard Sebastian Mack. Mara shot 6 for 9 from the field and added four rebounds and two assists in his 24 minutes.
Mack added 11 points and three rebounds for a Bruins team that scored 48 points in the paint.
An early putback dunk by Mara, immediately followed by a block on the defensive end, showed his tantalizing potential to be an impact player. Mara’s basket provided the first two points of a 10-0 run, which put the Bruins ahead 12-5 with 13:38 left in the first half.
Bona’s steal and emphatic fast-break dunk capped a 16-2 run that extended UCLA’s lead to 18-7, as the 6-10 sophomore had eight of UCLA’s first 18 points.
Bona had 12 points (on 5-for-7 shooting), six rebounds, two steals and one block in 13 minutes in the first half.
Mara, who had four points in the first half, quickly settled in after halftime. He made two free throws, scored on a nice step-through layup and showed his mid-range game with a jump shot from the free throw…
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