As a mature senior, Hyde certainly couldn’t bother with Evans at this moment.
But in the first half of the game...
Evans’ three-pointers, like timely rain, greatly relieved Qin Yue’s pressure.
On the sideline, Prose said to Victor with disbelief on his face: "You know... Ronnie did something tonight that even Chris couldn’t accomplish."
Edward Jones Dome, at halftime, the scoreboard showed 45 to 37, with Wake Forest leading.
During the halftime break, Qin Yue’s physical condition was noticeably better than expected.
At this time in the locker room, although no one said anything, when everyone passed by Evans, they would lovingly pat him on the head.
Seeing this, the already bald Evans chuckled: "I’ve thought for a long time that my bald head feels pretty good."
After halftime, Wake Forest and Illinois switched sides to continue the battle.
In the second half, Evans, who Prose left on the court based on intuition, continued his magic.
Due to carelessness while dribbling, Hyde was actually stripped by Evans.
Immediately afterward, Evans, knowing who to rely on, quickly passed the ball to Qin Yue.
Then, Qin Yue dribbled straight into Illinois’ paint and executed a screen-bursting glide dunk to give Wake Forest the first score in the second half.
On the Devil’s Deacon Team’s bench, although Gray was placed on the bench in the second half, he had no complaints and actively rallied his teammates to wave towels madly for Qin Yue.
Since the overlord, Wake Forest, wasn’t overly exhausted in the first half as Weber expected...
Watch the overlord break the formation!
On the court, Augustine’s trademark mid-range shot after a screen was mercilessly blocked by Qin Yue.
Then, in a flash, Qin Yue rode alone into Illinois’ half, opening up his body in the air...
Watching the height of Qin Yue’s leap.
Looking at the distance of Qin Yue’s jump.
On the sideline, LeBron James immediately buried his head in Carmelo Anthony’s arms.
At this moment, mountains crumbled, and the world changed color!
"Illinois called a timeout, Qin... he just stopped Illinois right at the start of the second half!" CBS television commentator announced excitedly.
In the stands, Barkley pondered for a moment before saying to Jordan: "Do you feel... this kid jumps higher than he did last summer."
Jordan nodded, "Tim said last year that Qin’s jumping ability still had room for development."
Barkley said, "Could Dwight Howard complete a dunk from that distance (a step inside the free-throw line)?"
Jordan shook his head: "I’ve watched Dwight’s games... he definitely couldn’t do it because after he jumps, the pull of gravity would inevitably make him fall prematurely."
Barkley said in surprise: "Have you started researching gravity after retiring?"
Jordan gave Barkley a look and then immediately pulled a ring out of his pocket.
The timeout ended, and the game continued.
Paul, with no way to deal with Deron, was still silently taking hits.
But the balance of the game gradually tilted toward Wake Forest.
As the three-point team of this NCAA era, if Illinois can’t maintain their shooting touch throughout the game, what awaits them tonight is the fast-break offense initiated by Qin Yue after grabbing the rebound.
Originally, according to Bruce Weber’s plan, Qin Yue was expected to hit a physical peak point for a period in the second half.
But no one expected the small figure Evans would suddenly steal the spotlight on this night.
On the court, receiving a pass from Qin Yue again, Evans drew his bow and shot, another three-pointer!
Because Evans made 4 out of 4 three-point attempts tonight, Illinois was compelled to intensify their defense against him.
Both Qin Yue and Paul noticed Illinois’ defensive adjustments, so they decisively focused Wake Forest’s upcoming offensive plays on Evans’ side.
As a result, needing to guard against Evans, Illinois naturally couldn’t gang up on Qin Yue as quickly as before.
On the court, using his signature double crossover on the perimeter to shake off Augustine, Qin Yue glided in for a layup as if the field was deserted.
On the sideline, Prose laughed: "Now Ronnie just has to stand in the corner to contribute to the team’s offense."
Meanwhile, watching Qin Yue’s ever-stronger performance on the court, Anthony firmly said: "Qin is ready to take this game to victory."
Beside him, suddenly reminded of something, James teased: "By the way, Melo, how come we don’t see our good brother Chris Paul in this game?"
Hearing this, Anthony was first surprised, then stunned, and said: "You reminded me, LeBron. Could it be that our good brother Chris has been kidnapped?"
PS1: This Chapter is also known as "The Lost Chris Paul."
PS2: New book seeking collections, monthly tickets, and recommendations!