A step of acceleration to squeeze through.

Allen's wingspan was excellent, coupled with his speed, making it difficult for Oriachi to defend against this move after getting too close.

The scene was in turmoil.

Allen was holding back today, determined to slap the old man's face!

Ollie was visibly anxious at this moment, just short of cursing out loud.

But Calhoun was staring intently at the court.

Oriachi didn't give up after being passed by Allen, but turned around and continued to chase the defense.

Allen shook off Oriachi and went for a bank shot.

He could already hear the fans' regretful voices in his head.

It was that kind of sound, the sound of regret!

"Pa!"

"Bang!"

But just then, a crisp slapping sound suddenly came from above his head.

Oriachi chased to the basket, raised his hand, and directly blocked his shot onto the backboard.

A huge chase-down block!

The cheers at the scene erupted instantly!

Allen had scored in front of him earlier, but he immediately returned a block on the next play!

And it was a chase-down block!

The main players of UConn are still better than the substitutes!

After Oriachi blocked Allen's layup, he leaned on Allen to grab the rebound, and UConn successfully defended Marquette University's offense once again.

"Huh? Why did Oriachi suddenly get the hang of it?" Ollie looked puzzled at this moment.

He had been scolding Oriachi for more than just a day or two, but this time he didn't expect him to get the hang of it after a scolding. Was it a flash of inspiration?

Calhoun, however, turned his attention to Tang Tian at this time.

As an old coach, his observation was much more detailed than Ollie's. He had seen Tang Tian pull Oriachi aside and say something earlier. Although he didn't know what it was, it was obvious that those words had changed Oriachi.

This Tang Tian is really getting more and more interesting.

The team's consecutive successful defenses not only raised the emotions of the fans on the sidelines, but also boosted the morale of the players on the court.

In UConn's frontcourt offense, Lamb used Oriachi's screen to break through Allen, and scored the ball against Allen's defense, also drawing a shooting foul on the latter.

After scoring, he roared at the audience on the sidelines.

Since entering the NCAA, he had been suppressed for too long. This 2+1 was like an elevation for him!

This is also the characteristic of a freshman. Some opportunities are needed to unlock talent. Many talented high school students end up fading into obscurity in college because they lack such an opportunity.

The audience responded with even louder cheers.

Allen was, after all, just a substitute for UConn. After that angry roar from his earlier score, he was now getting blocked and giving up a 2+1. He was losing face big time.

In fact, the reason why Calhoun didn't use Allen as a starter before was very simple. Allen was a bit short and especially liked mid-range jump shots, but he wasn't particularly consistent, plus he liked to use his wingspan to block opponents on the defensive end and lacked experience.

So Calhoun's original plan was to have Allen play as a substitute for a year, polish up these shortcomings, and then promote him to the main team.

But he didn't expect Allen to be so eager to perform that he transferred schools directly.

Now, his performance on the court also proves that he still needs more experience.

Lamb made the free throw, and UConn had narrowed the score difference to only 2 points!

In Marquette University's offense, Allen broke through in the frontcourt, and when he saw Oriachi chasing up again, he didn't dare to shoot, and passed the ball back to Butler on the outside.

Butler was also forced into a dead ball by Tang Tian's defense, and finally passed the buck to his teammate, whose forced three-point shot didn't even touch the rim. Marquette University was called for a 35-second violation!

Seeing this, Calhoun turned around and walked back to the bench to sit down.

For the first time since the start of the season, he finally felt a sense of reassurance about the team.

Ollie saw Calhoun go back to sit down, hesitated for a moment, and still stood on the sidelines to continue directing.

The situation on the court began to completely turn towards UConn's side.

Tang Tian locked down opponents on the outside, and Oriachi stood like a pillar inside. UConn's defense had a sense of layering, and the entire restricted area was as solid as a rock.

Walker was still unstoppable, and Lamb's sudden enlightenment made UConn even more powerful. UConn's offense became smoother and smoother.

After Tang Tian came on the court, UConn underwent a qualitative change!

Before the end of the first half, they launched a 14-2 run, successfully reversing the score to 40-39.

Returning from the 15-minute halftime break, Marquette University adjusted their offensive strategy, and they began to focus more of their offense on the outside to avoid UConn's inside defense.

But their core players, Butler and Allen, were not good at outside shooting, so this approach was tantamount to attacking the enemy with their own weaknesses.

Moreover, more outside shooting also resulted in more long rebounds. UConn put on a dual-point guard lineup of Walker and Napier and began to frequently play fast breaks on defense.

After UConn's defense stabilized, Calhoun also began to suppress his opponents tactically.

In the end, UConn achieved an 11-point comeback and defeated Marquette University 73-61 at home in this crucial battle!

Marquette University's twin cores, Butler and Allen, both underperformed. The former shot 5 of 20 and only scored 14 points and 7 rebounds, while the latter shot even worse at 3 of 12 with only 6 points and 3 rebounds, and was also blocked twice by Oriachi.

On the other hand, Walker was incredibly brave for UConn, scoring a game-high 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists on 11-of-23 shooting. Jeremy Lamb's state recovered, scoring 16 points and 5 rebounds on 7-of-15 shooting. Oriachi also had a double-double of 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

Tang Tian played 20 minutes in his NCAA debut, contributing 2 steals, 3 rebounds, and 1 block.

The stats were unremarkable, but UConn fans who watched the game knew that if it weren't for his surprise performance, UConn would have been bloodbathed by the opponent again tonight.

The stats don't tell the whole story about Tang Tian's contribution in this game.

Not only did the fans know this, but head coach Calhoun was also very clear about it.

At the post-match press conference, the head coach usually brings two outstanding players to the scene.

In addition to Walker, the person Calhoun brought was not Lamb or Oriachi, but Tang Tian!

Being valued so much after the first game, Tang Tian had created a small record at UConn.

"Don't be nervous. Just answer truthfully if the reporters ask anything." On the way to the press conference, Calhoun gave Tang Tian extra instructions, as he was afraid that Tang Tian would be too nervous to speak at the scene.

Tang Tian nodded. Besides being a bit taciturn, Calhoun was actually a very good coach.

The press conference site was already prepared.

There were crowds of reporters under the stage, and all kinds of long-barreled cameras, a dark mass.

Calhoun led Walker and Tang Tian through the crowd and went straight to the stage to sit down.

"Who is he? We've never seen him before." The first reporter who was called on to ask a question directly threw out the question that everyone was most concerned about.

Although some fans said during the game that his name was Tang Tian, that had not been confirmed.

Moreover, players with scholarships are generally publicized on the school's website, and there is no Tang Tian listed there.