The Return Path

The crowd's reaction exploded into a frenzy once the fans on the scene realized what was happening.

Tang Tian was going to score!

Even though he hadn't scored a single point in previous games, that didn't mean he lacked the ability to!

It sounded strange, but the facts seemed to be just that!

Bena was about to go crazy.

This Tang Tian, he had surprised Bena by defending Thompson in the first half, and now in the second half, he was even shooting three-pointers!

He had suddenly displayed two abilities that hadn't been seen in previous games; it was like he was deliberately going against him!

"Ignore him! Keep double-teaming!" Bena yelled, standing up and shouting at his players from the sideline.

He refused to believe that a player who hadn't made a single three-pointer in previous games could actually make consecutive three-pointers. It just didn't make sense!

Washington State University's offense failed to score again.

After Tang Tian entered the game, UConn's other players could confidently let him defend alone, and the defensive intensity on other players could also be fully maintained.

After Forsyth grabbed the rebound, Walker continued to bring the ball up the court.

Tang Tian also continued to set a screen for him.

At this point, the strategy became very simple: it depended on Bena's choice. Would he continue to double-team Walker, or switch to man-to-man defense? If they continued to double-team, Tang Tian would keep shooting. If they didn't, Walker would directly attack the opposing forward.

Thompson executed Bena's tactical intention and chose to double-team Walker. Walker, who was prepared, passed the ball early.

This pass was even more comfortable than the previous one. Tang Tian received the ball and had a completely open shot.

Everyone in the arena was staring intently at Tang Tian as he received the ball.

"Is he going to shoot again?" the guest commentator couldn't help but ask from the commentary booth.

The answer was yes, he was shooting again.

With such an open shot, Tang Tian had no reason not to shoot!

He aimed at the rim, jumped, and shot.

It felt exactly the same as in the practice gym. The basket in front of him seemed as vast as the ocean.

"Swish!"

Washington State University made a tactical adjustment in the second half, deciding not to let Thompson be the primary scorer. This was the right approach, but as a result, Tang Tian's stamina was not heavily consumed on defense, and his open three-point percentage was basically the initial 97%.

Not a single miss.

The three-pointer went through the net again!

The point difference instantly widened to 12 points.

"Fuck!"

Bena was so enraged that he swore, and he also signaled for a timeout.

Tang Tian could actually make shots!

These two three-pointers had nullified all his efforts in the second half.

UConn's bench went wild. When Tang Tian came off the court, they all ran over to chest bump and high-five him, extremely excited.

"Well done," Cahoon also praised Tang Tian directly.

He was now somewhat fortunate that he had seen Tang Tian shoot that night. Otherwise, like Ollie, he might have substituted Tang Tian out early, and they wouldn't have regained the momentum.

"Tang, what did you do to practice your three-pointers?" Ollie asked more directly.

"I've been practicing all along. I knew the team would need it," Tang Tian replied casually.

At this moment, his teammates looked at him with a hint of admiration.

He had been hiding his true abilities!

After the timeout, Washington State University scored a basket on their offensive end, narrowing the gap to 10 points. They temporarily stabilized the situation.

When it was UConn's turn again, they ran a pick-and-roll between Tang Tian and Walker!

The strategy was clear: Since you're using Thompson to defend Walker, we'll deliberately force you to change by not letting you do that.

After setting the screen, Tang Tian continued to fall back to the three-point line. This time, Thompson didn't double-team him.

Seeing this, Walker decisively drove past the opposing forward with a change of direction, using his speed advantage to get to the basket for a layup!

Only Thompson could defend Walker; the other players on Washington State University were simply not on the same level as Walker!

Bena lowered his head helplessly on the sideline.

After Tang Tian made consecutive three-pointers, even if he didn't shoot anymore, his presence on the court was an absolute threat. Thompson couldn't afford to double-team him.

But if they didn't double-team, Walker would go on a rampage like he did in the first half.

He looked up again at Cahoon, who was also standing on the sideline on the other half of the court, and suddenly felt envious. Why didn't Washington State University have a player like that?

Someone who could defend and shoot three-pointers was a standard 3D player, the type of player coaches loved no matter where they were.

On Washington State University's offense, in a desperate situation, Thompson forcefully hit a three-pointer over Tang Tian's defense to keep the home team alive.

But then, after Walker drew the double-team from the opponent's interior defense, he passed the ball to Orland under the basket, who scored an uncontested dunk.

Thompson turned around, wanting to continue his three-point streak to stay alive, but this time Tang Tian gave him no chance, his high-pressure defense directly blocking his forced shot.

On UConn's fast break, Walker passed to Lamb, who then passed to the trailing Tang Tian. Tang Tian had an open three-pointer off the chase, and he shot without hesitation.

Under the nearly desperate gazes of the fans in the arena, the basketball drew a standard parabolic arc through the air, and then dropped cleanly into the net.

Tang Tian's third three-pointer of the second half!

Three for three!

Incredible!

Bena was already getting frustrated by the shooting, and sat back on the bench to check the time. He didn't even call another timeout.

The fans in the arena had also completely lost hope. Thompson was locked down by Tang Tian, Washington State University's offensive tactics weren't working, and their defense couldn't do anything about Walker. The final few minutes of the game had lost all suspense.

On the contrary, the more than a thousand fans who had specifically traveled to the away game were ecstatic. Before, their ears were filled with the shouts and cheers of the home crowd, hurting their eardrums. Now, it was finally their turn.

It was fortunate that the fans in America are relatively friendly. If this were in China or Europe, the stands would have erupted into a brawl.

In the end, UConn maintained their lead until the very end, winning the invitation tournament with a dominant 75-61 victory over Washington State University on the road, despite an unfavorable 0-9 start.

For Washington State University, Thompson had an off game, shooting 5-of-17 from the field for only 16 points and 5 rebounds. Besides him, the other players also shot under 40%.

Just as Tang Tian had predicted, this team was a typical star-driven offense. If Thompson didn't play well, the others wouldn't perform too well either.

For UConn, Walker had a stellar performance, shooting 15-of-30 for a season-high 36 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists. Lamb scored 13 points and 3 rebounds, while O'Riaqi had 8 points and 12 rebounds, 5 of which were offensive rebounds.

Tang Tian played a season-high 30 minutes, shooting 3-of-3 from beyond the arc for 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block.

After the game, the players from both teams, as is customary, shook hands and hugged each other in greeting.

"You played great," Thompson, who had been defended by Tang Tian all game, said proactively as they embraced.

"Thank you," Tang Tian replied with a smile. He didn't say anything like "you played great too." Thompson was still a very gentle player.