Chapter 19

The on-site fans erupted in commotion once they realized what had happened.

Tang Tian could score!

He had never scored in previous games, but that did not mean he lacked scoring ability!

It sounded strange, but that seemed to be the truth!

Bena was nearly driven mad.

Tang Tian had already exceeded his expectations by defending Thompson in the first half, and now he was even shooting three-pointers in the second half!

He had suddenly displayed two abilities he had never shown in previous games. He was clearly doing this just to spite him!

"Don't worry about him! Keep double-teaming!" He stood up at the sideline and shouted at his players.

He refused to believe that a player who had not made a single three-pointer in previous games could really make them back-to-back. That made no sense!

Washington State University's offense still failed to score.

After Tang Tian came on, the other UConn players could confidently leave him to defend on his own, while maintaining defensive intensity everywhere else.

After Forsyth grabbed the rebound, Walker continued his Dribble Push into the frontcourt.

Tang Tian came up again to set a screen for him.

The tactic had become very simple now. It all depended on Bena's choice: keep double-teaming Walker or switch directly. If they kept doubling, Tang Tian would keep shooting. If they did not, Walker would attack their forward directly.

Thompson carried out Bena's instructions and chose to double-team Walker. Walker had been prepared and passed early.

The pass was even more comfortable than the previous one. After catching it, Tang Tian was completely wide open.

Everyone in the arena stared intently at Tang Tian as he caught the ball.

"Is he going to shoot again?" the commentary guest at the Commentary Booth could not help asking.

The answer was yes.

With such a wide-open look, Tang Tian had no reason not to shoot!

He aimed at the basket, rose up, and released.

It felt exactly like it had in the Training Facility. The hoop before his eyes was as vast as the sea.

Swish!

Washington State University had made a tactical adjustment in the second half, choosing not to let Thompson carry the offense. It was the right idea, but it also meant Tang Tian's physical exertion on the defensive end was minimal, leaving his Open Three-Pointer Shooting Percentage at its original 97%.

He did not miss.

Another three-pointer splashed cleanly through the net!

The gap was instantly stretched to 12 points.

"Fuck!"

Bena cursed outright in frustration and raised his hand to Call a timeout.

Tang Tian could really make them!

Those two three-pointers had nullified all the work he had done in the second half.

UConn's bench went wild. When Tang Tian came off the court, they all ran over to bump chests and high-five him, thrilled beyond measure.

"Good job." Cahoon praised Tang Tian directly.

He was beginning to feel fortunate that he had seen Tang Tian shoot that night. Otherwise, like Ollie, he might have taken Tang Tian out early, and they would never have seized back control of the game.

"Tang, what kind of three-pointer have you been practicing?" Ollie asked even more bluntly.

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

The other teammates looked at him with a hint of admiration.

He had really been hiding his talent!

After the timeout, Washington State University scored in the frontcourt, cutting the gap to 10 Points and temporarily steadying the situation.

On the other end, UConn still ran the Tang Tian-Walker pick-and-roll!

The message was clear. You wanted Thompson guarding Walker? Then they would make sure he could not do that and force a switch!

After rolling off the screen, Tang Tian drifted back to the three-point line. This time, Thompson did not go to double-team.

Walker saw it and decisively used a crossover to drive past the opposing forward, exploiting his speed advantage to reach the paint and finish a layup!

Only Thompson could guard Walker. Washington State University's other players 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 did not take another shot, he remained an absolute threat on the court. Thompson could not possibly go double-team.

But if they did not double-team, Walker would wreak havoc just as he had in the first half.

When Bena looked up at Cahoon standing on the other sideline, he suddenly felt envious. Why did Washington State University not have a player like that?

Someone who could defend and shoot threes was a standard 3D Player, the kind of player every coach loved no matter where they were.

Washington State University's offense continued. In a desperate situation, Thompson drilled a three-pointer over Tang Tian's defense to keep the home team alive.

But on the next possession, Walker drew help defense from the opposing big men and kicked the ball to Orland under the basket. Orland slammed it home uncontested.

Thompson turned around and tried to save them with another three, but this time Tang Tian gave him no chance. His suffocating defense directly blocked Thompson's forced shot.

UConn broke in transition. Walker passed to Lamb, Lamb fed the trailing Tang Tian, and Tang Tian got a Chasing Open Three-Pointer opportunity. He still shot without the slightest hesitation.

Before the nearly despairing eyes of the on-site fans, the basketball traced a perfect arc through the air before once again dropping cleanly through the net.

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

Three shots, three makes!

Unbelievable!

Bena had been drained of all fight by those shots. He sat back down on the bench, checked the time, and did not even call another timeout.

The on-site fans had completely wilted as well. Thompson was firmly shut down by Tang Tian, Washington State University's offensive end tactics were ineffective, and they had no answer for Walker on defense. The final few minutes had lost all suspense.

Instead, the thousand-plus fans who had specially traveled to the away game were ecstatic. Earlier, their ears had been filled with the shouts and cheers of the home fans, loud enough to make their eardrums ache. Now it was finally their turn.

Fortunately, fans in America were relatively friendly with one another. If this had been back home or in Europe, the stands would have broken into a brawl.

In the end, UConn maintained its lead to the final buzzer. After falling into an unfavorable 0-9 start, it claimed a 75-61 road big win over Washington State University and won the invitational tournament!

For Washington State University, Thompson had an off game, shooting 5-for-17 and scoring only 16 points with 5 rebounds. Aside from him, everyone else shot below 40%.

Just as Tang Tian had predicted, this was a typical star-driven team. If Thompson did not play well, neither would the others.

For UConn, Walker was magnificent, shooting 15-for-30 and putting up a season-high 36 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists. Lamb scored 13 points with 3 rebounds, while O'Riaqi had 8 points and 12 rebounds, including 5 Offensive Rebounds.

Tang Tian played a season-high 30 minutes, going 3-for-3 from outside the three-point line for 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block.

After the game, as customary, the players from both teams shook hands and embraced.

"You played great." Thompson had been defended by Tang Tian all game, yet when they embraced, he took the initiative to speak.

"Thanks." Tang Tian replied with a smile. He did not say anything like, "You played great too." Thompson was still a very gracious player.