Brooks was surprised, but his offense did not stop. He spun into a Fadeaway Jumper, still carrying a bit of Kobe's flair.
Tang Tian leaped to contest it.
He knew that once Brooks picked up his dribble, if he did not pass, this was his only option. So he got a hand up almost immediately.
And he was a few centimeters taller than Brooks, completely sealing off his shooting angle.
Bang!
Brooks raised his release point, but that also changed the ball's arc. After leaving his hand, it struck the front rim and bounced out.
O'Riaqi secured the Defensive Rebound.
Brooks's shot had missed under Tang Tian's defense!
Cheers suddenly erupted from the crowd.
Normally, only spectacular baskets could draw such a huge reaction from the audience. For defense to have that effect, only Tang Tian could do it!
The on-site fans even had to thank Cahoon. After all, without comparison, there was no impression. Brooks had been having his way against the other players' defense earlier, and now it seemed he had merely been setting the stage for Tang Tian's entrance!
"Damn it!" Brooks cursed after clanking the shot.
He had talked such a big game earlier, yet Tang Tian had actually stopped him.
On UConn's possession, Tang Tian continued to set a screen for Walker. This time, Providence College's forward directly collapsed inside to trap Walker.
Walker had been prepared. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the ball back out to Tang Tian on the perimeter.
Tang Tian took aim and fired.
Brooks, on the weak side, saw it and sprinted over to help, but he was still too late.
Tang Tian unleashed a textbook quick Three-point shot over Brooks, who had only just risen into the air.
Swish!
The three-pointer dropped cleanly through, and Brooks's leaping figure became the perfect backdrop.
The cheers erupted again.
Quite a few fans were so excited that they jumped straight to their feet.
Tang Tian had made an immediate impact on both ends of the floor. He was not just a refrigerator—he was a microwave too!
Brooks clenched his fist, looking a little frantic.
Providence College brought the ball into the frontcourt, and Brooks immediately posted up at the high post, calling for the ball with his back to the basket.
He was going head-to-head with Tang Tian.
Cahoon relaxed a little when he saw that.
Just as he had said before the game, Brooks was an excellent scorer, but his shot selection was too poor.
If he kept playing One-on-one like this, then as long as they could stop him, Providence College's run-and-gun offense would be more than half crippled.
A backdown, a sudden spin drive, then a pull-up Fadeaway Jumper.
Brooks completed the sequence in one smooth motion, and his technique was exceptionally polished. He was clearly much stronger than Butler had been earlier.
But Tang Tian held nothing back either. He applied defensive pressure throughout, then timed his final closeout perfectly.
Brooks was extremely uncomfortable when he released the ball.
Bang!
The ball bounced off the rim again.
Tang Tian had stopped Brooks twice in a row!
Kobe had once said that the player who defended him best in the NBA was Tony Allen. During the 2010 Finals, Allen had even held him below forty percent Shooting Percentage, which showed just how solid Allen's defensive foundation was.
Now that Tang Tian's stamina had improved, he basically possessed seventy to eighty percent of Allen's physical tools. He could also bring out seventy to eighty percent of the skill's power.
That was not enough to guard the real Kobe, but it was more than enough against "Little Kobe." Brooks's current ability was obviously still far behind Kobe's.
Unfortunately, Brooks did not know that!
He really seemed possessed by Kobe now, determined to score over Tang Tian's head no matter what!
On UConn's possession, Walker passed out after being double-teamed and got the ball to Lamb. Brooks was a little Out of Position on defense, and Lamb drove to the basket for a Bank Shot Layup.
Since Tang Tian had come in, UConn had put together a 5-0 run and tied the game!
Cahoon nodded in satisfaction, then retreated to the bench and sat down with ease.
He was already considering moving Tang Tian into the starting lineup.
On Providence College's possession, Brooks began running off screens without the ball. Since forcing his offense had not worked, he had switched to off-ball play.
But Tang Tian stuck to him like glue.
Even a team like Washington State University, which specialized in Play pick and roll, could not shake Tang Tian with screens. Providence College, which was not nearly as proficient, had even less chance.
Brooks caught the ball without shaking Tang Tian, then turned and forced up a shot.
Tang Tian nearly blocked it outright.
Bang!
Brooks had missed three straight shots!
He had gone from 4-for-4 to 4-for-7 just like that!
The cheers kept coming. The fans truly loved Tang Tian!
Ollie also returned to the bench and sat down in relief.
Providence College's overall strength was somewhat better than Washington State University's, whom they had faced earlier, but the two teams actually played very similarly. Both built their offenses around their stars, and Providence College relied on Brooks even more than Washington State University relied on Thompson.
Brooks had also delivered. In previous games, he had hardly ever cooled off.
But he was not Kobe, after all. He could not truly put up Kobe-like streaks of 40-plus or even 50-plus points in the NBA. Now that Tang Tian had clamped him down, Providence College's offense was basically finished.
Walker drove for a layup in the frontcourt and drew a foul. Since Providence College's cumulative fouls had already reached seven, he earned a free-throw opportunity.
NCAA free throws were still different from the NBA's. When a team committed seven to nine fouls in a half, there were technically two shots, but under the one-and-one rule, if the first free throw missed, the rebound was live immediately. Only if the first shot went in did the player get a second free throw.
Walker missed his first free throw, but O'Riaqi used his height advantage to tip the ball back in.
UConn's momentum did not slow, and they took an 11-9 lead!
"Defense! Defense!"
The consecutive scoring run had the on-site fans fired up. They did not even need the DJ to lead them now; they began cheering for the home team in unison.
Brooks still called for the ball once he reached the frontcourt, and Providence College's point guard really did give it to him.
But that was simply how they played. If Brooks could not get going, Providence College's offense would not get going either.
Brooks kept the ball and continued challenging Tang Tian One-on-one.
He strung together crossover after crossover, then went between the legs, the ball seeming to stick to his hand in that instant.
It was clear that he was giving it everything he had.
Then he suddenly accelerated and charged hard toward the basket.
Tang Tian defended with complete focus, refusing to give Brooks any chance to shoot.
After driving one step inside the free-throw line, Brooks took a huge hop step to the basket, then rose for a reverse layup with a double-clutch.
The shot was incredibly difficult, combining crossovers, a drive, a hop step, and a double-clutch. Few players in the NCAA could pull off all of that.
But Tang Tian did not jump rashly. He kept watching Brooks's shoulders, and only after Brooks went for the reverse did he suddenly rise to block the shot.
Neither too early nor too late, he caught the exact instant Brooks released the ball.
Bang!
A massive block sent Brooks's shot flying out of bounds!
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