Inside the live broadcast room of Dragon Kingdom, the air was electric with tension.
[Damn it! Not again!] [This is perverse! Every single time this happens!] [As soon as Yang Yan's team equalizes, the other side fires back with a three-pointer.] [The pressure is suffocating—I can feel it even through the screen!]
Moments ago, Yang Yan had drilled a flawless three-pointer, finally bringing Ohio State level with Davidson. Yet in a heartbeat, the opposition retaliated, launching a three of their own to retake the lead.
[Yang Yan worked so hard for that three, and it's all undone in seconds.] [If this continues, Ohio State's morale is going to collapse!] [Come on, Oden, we need you now more than ever!] [Oden's performance today has been lackluster...] [Well, what do you expect? He's got five defenders hanging off him like vines!]
On the court, Curry's latest dagger from deep had sent the Davidson fans into another frenzy. But on Ohio State's sideline, head coach Gallagher could take no more.
"Slow it down! Don't rush!" he barked, his voice hoarse. "Don't play to their tempo!"
He gestured wildly, eyes scanning his players. "Mike! Control the rhythm! Let's get one under the basket!"
Despite Gallagher's efforts, Yang Yan could feel the emotional shift rippling through his teammates. The mood had taken a hit. Desperation clung to the air like humidity before a storm. He instinctively looked to Conley—and Conley met his gaze immediately.
No words were needed. The message in Yang Yan's stare was crystal clear:
Give me the ball.
Conley hesitated for only a breath. Then, with precision honed from hours of practice, he zipped the ball to Yang Yan just beyond the arc. The pass was perfect—just the right angle, just the right spin.
Yang Yan caught it in stride. Feet reset. Arms rose.
Release.
Time slowed.
The ball kissed the back rim and dropped through the net. The referee raised his arms. Another three-pointer.
Davidson's lead? Erased once more.
On the sidelines, Gallagher's frustration twisted into disbelief. "Damn it—" he muttered, only to catch himself. "Well done!" he yelled instead, a grin replacing his scowl.
Conley let out a breath of relief. Yang Yan wasn't just on fire—he was an inferno. A deadly weapon from deep.
Across the court, Curry stared at Yang Yan, eyebrows raised, lips pressed into a thin line. He recognized the challenge.
Your move.
Davidson began their possession with their usual outside tactics. Curry maneuvered off a screen, caught the ball, and prepared to launch yet another triple.
But he wasn't alone.
A blur of red streaked across the arc—Yang Yan.
BAM!
His outstretched hand smacked the ball just as it left Curry's fingertips, sending it flying out of bounds.
[HOLY! Yang Yan with the block!] [I knew he could do it! What a monster!] [Two threes and now a block? Unbelievable!] [Yang Yan is carrying the team right now!] [This is what champions are made of!]
The live chat exploded. Every fan back home watching from Dragon Kingdom was now on their feet. Just when it looked like Ohio State would fall apart, Yang Yan had singlehandedly turned the tide.
Refuse to overturn. That was Yang Yan's answer.
Ohio State players rallied. Energy surged. The crowd roared louder. Even Gallagher cracked a grin.
Curry, meanwhile, clenched his jaw. That was his shot. It had felt right, perfect even. But Yang Yan had guessed—no, known—it was coming.
The following Davidson possession sputtered. Pressured and cornered, Curry was forced to dish it off to a teammate. The shot went up... and clanked off the rim.
Ohio State rebounded.
Conley pushed the ball past half court, eyes trained on Yang Yan. Two consecutive threes and a monster block? The hot hand was undeniable.
But Yang Yan wasn't going to be predictable.
He motioned for the ball as if preparing to launch another three. Davidson defenders, already jittery, immediately overcommitted, rushing up to smother him.
It was a ruse.
Conley held onto the ball a beat longer.
And that beat was all they needed.
Oden, who'd been shackled under the basket all game, suddenly had daylight. The defense had shifted too far up, drawn like moths to the flame of Yang Yan's perimeter threat.
Conley zipped a no-frills bounce pass through the gap.
Oden caught it in stride, planted his foot, and slammed the ball home with both hands. The rim rattled. The crowd detonated.
Two defenders staggered back, powerless.
Oden let out a roar, pounding his chest. He turned to Conley and Yang Yan, offering them both a thumbs-up. This was their moment.
The first half ended with Davidson failing to score again.
Ohio State walked into the locker room with a five-point lead.
After a quick fifteen-minute halftime break, the second half began.
But the momentum had already swung too far.
Yang Yan's early three-point blitz had shattered Davidson's rhythm. His defensive stop on Curry had rattled their confidence. And now, with Oden unleashed inside, Davidson's defense had no good answers.
Still, Davidson didn't go quietly.
Curry tried to mount a comeback with a series of deep threes, twisting and dancing around screens. But every time he landed one, Yang Yan would respond in kind. For every punch, a counterpunch.
The difference was—Yang Yan's threes landed like hammers.
Davidson was running out of time, and Ohio State knew it.
Yang Yan stood tall like a wall they couldn't climb, a looming shadow that followed Curry wherever he went. And now, with both the perimeter and the paint under siege, Davidson's defense was stretched to its breaking point.
Ohio State's refusal to overturn, to yield, to break—had now become a statement.
And at the heart of that statement stood Yang Yan.
Unshakeable.
Undeniable.
Unstoppable.
End of Chapter 19.