UCLA Basketball Highlights: Bruins Coast in Tune-Up For Maui Invitational
Behind dominant efforts up front from Aday Mara and Adem Bona, the UCLA Bruins cruised to a rather comfortable win over Long Island by a score of 78-58.
With a noticeable size disadvantage in the frontcourt, Long Island had little chance of stopping the Bruins' powerful post prowess.
Bona led the Bruins with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Mara easily had the best game of his young career -- notching 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
In some aspects, it was a bit of an unconventional game. Starting point guard Dylan Andrews did not play tonight despite being fully dressed for the game. There's no word as to why he wasn't involved in the action.
Highly touted freshman forward Berke Buyuktuncel remains on the sidelines as the NCAA deals with his eligibility. At this point three games into the season, it must be frustrating for Mick Cronin to deal with -- especially since Buyuktuncel was widely projected to be the team's starting power forward.
UCLA went 0-for-5 from three-point range. It snapped a streak of 792 straight games in which the team has made a three (dating back to 2000). With the win, UCLA also extended its win streak at home to 28 games in a row (the longest current streak in the country).
After feasting on three cupcakes, things get real moving forward. On Monday, UCLA is set to begin its play in the vaunted Maui Invitational field. First up for the Bruins is Marquette -- a team many feel is a National Title contender. Should UCLA get past the Golden Eagles, a date with Kansas is essentially guaranteed.
We should be able to learn a lot about this team now that it'll go up against some quality competition. It'll be a terrific experience for this young roster, and in the process will give Cronin more data to work with as he figures out how to maximize the potential of this group.
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