At halftime, the UCLA locker room was relatively calm.
"It's okay, boys, there's still the second half. We'll win in the end. Collison, don't follow their rhythm in the second half. Slow it down."
Collison immediately nodded, indicating he understood.
"Holiday, screens need to be squeezed through quickly. Don't be afraid of fouls. Bring out your defensive intensity. If a pick-and-roll happens, immediately call for help defense. We can't let Curry get an easy shot again."
Holiday nodded, panting. He had been chasing Curry relentlessly in the first half, expending a lot of energy. His consecutive misses in the last few minutes were a clear sign of fatigue.
"Kayce, if your shot feels good, don't hesitate to take it. I know you can solve problems against help defense. This isn't the time to be overly rational. Unleash your energy into the game!"
"No problem, Coach. I'll take over guarding Curry in the second half. My stamina can hold up. If I feel like I can't, I'll signal."
Kayce directly expressed his thoughts. A leader should take responsibility, and he knew his teammates were already helping him conserve energy.
In the second half, he had to go all out, setting an example on both offense and defense. On the basketball court, you have to prove yourself with actions.
The Davidson College locker room atmosphere was excellent. After all, they were already up by 10 points, and their star player, Stephen Curry, was on fire. Perhaps they could create a new school record.
"Steph, how's your stamina? If you need a substitution, let me know early. We're currently leading, so we can let you rest a bit more first." The Coach was very concerned about Curry.
"I'm fine, Coach. It's the last 20 minutes, I can hold on!" Curry was also exhausted in the first half. Holiday's relentless pursuit made it tough, but fortunately, his shot was hot today.
"Davidson College is already up by 10 points in the first half. They have the advantage, and I believe they will continue to maintain their offensive rhythm in the second half. Steph is in great form today."
Barkley began to jinx Davidson College. He had previously favored UCLA, but now he had completely defected.
"UCLA will respond. If you're the leader of the team, you must lead by example. Kayce lacked aggressiveness in the first half; he must perform better!"
Reggie Miller, on the other hand, was looking forward to Kayce's performance in the second half.
Soon, to the cheers of 70,000 spectators at Lucas Oil Stadium, the second half officially began.
After Collison brought the ball past half-court, he gave his teammates a signal, indicating for all the big men to come up to the high post.
After Kayce received the ball via an off-ball screen from a teammate, he didn't call for a pick-and-roll to initiate the offense. Instead, he used a crossover dribble and accelerated with his left hand, blowing past his defender.
He took off directly for a one-handed dunk.
"Slam!" The ball directly crashed into the basket. Kayce took advantage of Davidson College's unsettled defense to score a surprise attack.
"A brilliant drive! UCLA has changed their tactics in the second half. Kayce is showing his aggressiveness!" Reggie Miller praised loudly.
When Curry brought the ball past half-court, he found his defender had switched to Kayce.
Facing Kayce's suffocating defense, Curry was a little unaccustomed. After all, in terms of height and wingspan, Kayce completely enveloped him.
When Curry initiated another pick-and-roll, Kayce agilely squeezed through the screen, and at the same time, UCLA's big man immediately came over to double-team Curry.
Facing two taller defenders double-teaming him, Curry could only pass the ball, but the forced pass resulted in poor quality.
Davidson College's possession ended with a floater from their big man, but their offense had become incredibly stagnant.
"That's it! Keep it up! Quick defensive rotations! Hold on, boys!" Coach Ben shouted loudly from the sidelines.
On UCLA's offensive possession, all the big men still moved up, creating better spacing for the team.
After Kayce received the ball, he signaled Collison for a screen. This was to wear down Curry on the offensive end. Davidson College naturally knew Curry had defensive issues and wanted to switch him immediately.
But Kayce seized the moment of hesitation from the defender, quickly exploded, and drove straight to the basket. With the defender already out of position, he took a fadeaway shot from the right side.
"Swish!" The mid-range shot went in successfully.
Curry signaled to his teammates that it was his fault. He knew the opponent's intention. This tactic was very effective against James Harden, and they similarly wanted to wear him down.
This time on offense, Curry quickly passed the ball and started moving off-ball. Kayce chased hard.
After Curry received the ball again, he executed a series of continuous in-and-out dribbles. Kayce felt his body lose balance, but only for a split second, he regained control of his body.
The Ankle Guard achievement badge had an effect! Kayce's successful defense forced Curry to take a difficult shot from beyond the three-point line.
"Clang!" The three-pointer clanked off the rim. A teammate secured the rebound, and Collison signaled for everyone to slow down the pace.
Kayce gave Collison a look, indicating that he would still finish the offense this possession.
This possession, UCLA played very patiently. With 12 seconds left on the shot clock, Kayce posted up, and Holiday lobbed the ball to Kayce.
After catching the ball, he faced up with a simple triple threat, then immediately put the ball down, took a step-back jump shot. The defender only managed a symbolic jump.
"Swish!" The two points went in steadily. Davidson College called a timeout.
Curry looked at Kayce with a hint of helplessness. With such height and wingspan, coupled with diverse offensive moves, Davidson College found it very difficult to guard him one-on-one.
"Excellent! Our offense is fine. Maintain this rhythm. Don't hesitate. If you have a chance, shoot decisively. Protect the rebounds; their shooting percentage is dropping!"
Coach Ben was shouting his lungs out. The cheers from the crowd were too loud, and coach no longer cared about his image.
After the timeout, Davidson College had Curry play more off-ball to help him conserve energy.
But UCLA didn't just have Kayce. Holiday and Collison started pressing the ball-handler defensively. Facing such defense, Curry helplessly received the ball again and initiated a pick-and-roll offense.
Facing the double-team from Kayce and the big man, Curry tried to lob it to a teammate but was intercepted by Kayce, who jumped up to steal it. He then immediately threw it to Holiday in the frontcourt, who scored on a fast break.
In the subsequent time, both sides engaged in a defensive battle, constantly putting pressure on each other's core players.
At this point, the advantage of having multiple ball-handlers returned to UCLA. The single-core Davidson College's offense became increasingly stagnant, and they started missing shots frequently.
Kayce and his teammates seized the opportunity and successfully tied the score. With 50 seconds left before the end of the game, Davidson College used their last timeout.
Curry sat on the bench, gasping for air. His stamina had reached its limit. Kayce's defensive pressure on him was too intense, and the opponent barely fell for fakes, which made him extremely uncomfortable.
"Steph, you take this shot. We need to make full use of the offensive time. Be patient, don't rush the shot. Time is on our side!"
The crowd was almost exploding. The score was currently tied at 65, with both teams having one offensive possession left. Both sets of fans were already praying.
The timeout quickly ended. Who would successfully advance to the Final Four would be decided in these last 50 seconds.
Davidson College successfully inbounded the ball. Curry received the ball, immediately passed it, and started moving off-ball. With the help of continuous screens, he got an open look from beyond the three-point line.
But Holiday immediately rotated into position, and at the same time, Collison quickly came over to double-team. Curry passed the ball again to the incoming big man and moved off-ball again.
UCLA's defense was very successful. With only 6 seconds left on the shot clock, the ball returned to Curry's hands, who once again faced Kayce's defense.
Without time to think, he executed a series of continuous between-the-legs dribbles, then a sudden behind-the-back dribble, finally gathering the ball and taking a step-back jump shot.
"Swish!" The ball went straight through the net, a two-pointer on the line. Curry, who had lost his balance and fallen to the ground, immediately got up and roared to the sky!
Davidson College fans went absolutely wild, screaming hysterically.
How did that even go in?
Kayce was a bit speechless. He hadn't been faked out at all on that shot. He had only pulled back his body slightly for fear of fouling, and it still went in?
A raw version of Curry, perhaps.
"Unbelievable, simply unbelievable! While off-balance, Stephen Curry made the most crucial shot of the game! He almost killed the game!"
The two commentators at the broadcast table were also shouting loudly. Reggie Miller's heart was already filled with despair.
The UCLA bench was somewhat quiet. Coach Ben was shouting out tactics, and the cheerleading substitutes were all praying for the team.
"Kayce, you finish this!" Coach Ben looked at Kayce.
"No problem, I'll make this shot!" Kayce replied calmly.
The game began, the 15 seconds that would decide their fate.
"UCLA's successful inbound play, but they don't have much time left! Kayce comes off a screen to receive the ball, only 8 seconds left!" Reggie Miller was already standing up to watch the game.
The moment Kayce received the ball, Curry was already rushing towards him. They wouldn't allow a three-point opportunity and simultaneously drove Kayce towards the corner. The help defender from the paint also immediately rotated over.
Kayce was now accelerating with the ball towards the right corner, which was his shooting hot zone.
With 2 seconds left, Kayce, facing two defenders, took a fadeaway step-back three-pointer from the corner.
Under the anxious gaze of 70,000 fans, the ball arched gracefully towards the basket.
"Swish!" The shot clock lit up, the three-pointer went in!
"Whaaa! ! !" UCLA fans began to shout, releasing their excitement.
"That's insane, unbelievable! Kayce hit the game-winner against a double team! He killed the game!" Reggie Miller's voice cracked.
At this moment, Kayce was pinned to the floor by his teammates, unable to get up. Although physically exhausted, his heart was excitedly shouting:
The [Hot Zone Hunter] badge is awesome!