ctnovel Chapter 18: His first 30+ point game in his NCAA career, shocking the entire nation!!
Chapter 18: His first 30+ point game in his NCAA career, shocking the entire nation!!
Beasley scored a game-high 20 points in the first half. Love tried his best to defend him today, but he had no answer for Beasley.
Defense is not Love's strong suit, and Beasley has too many offensive options to deal with him.
Despite the impressive statistics, Beasley was far from happy, as his team was trailing.
Lakers scout Jesse Bass, standing next to Hao Wei, couldn't help but say, "If you hadn't seen the UCLA game with your own eyes, no one would believe that the Chinese player actually became the key player in this game."
Hearing Jesse Bass's words, Hao Wei now hoped that Zeng Zhen wouldn't perform so well in the second half, because the better he performed, the more attention he would receive.
The Thunder have three second-round picks. Hao Wei thinks that if he strongly recommends it, using one of them to get Zeng Zhen shouldn't be a problem. However, if Zeng Zhen continues to play this well, the second-round picks are less certain.
Although it was only Zeng Zhen's second outstanding performance, he has already shown great potential tonight.
Besides his accurate shooting, Zeng Zhen's current physical condition also seems to have potential for development. With a height of 2.01 meters and a wingspan of 2.16 meters, he is an excellent player for the small forward and shooting guard positions.
"Zeng Zhen is proving his scoring influence with his points!!" Mike Breen shouted. "His points are the highest in UCLA."
Tonight, the March Madness tournament enters its second round, with matches taking place in multiple cities, but the most-watched match in the entire country is this one between UCLA and Kansas State!
The matchups and debuts of several high-drafted NBA rookies have filled fans with anticipation.
The first half of the game was more exciting than fans expected. No one could have imagined that an unknown freshman would step up and steal the spotlight from so many high-draft picks.
"UCLA!"
"UCLA!"
The halftime lead allowed UCLA supporters to roar wildly in the arena.
In the locker room, Zeng Zhen could feel the enthusiasm of the fans even through the passageway, but his expression didn't show any excitement. He was panting and trying to recover his strength as much as possible.
In every round of the first half, Zeng Zhen was running at full speed, just like he was sprinting 100 meters.
Zeng Zhen is well aware of the preciousness of time on the field, and he needs to give it his all.
Ben Holland clapped his hands and went to the center of the locker room: "We need to switch someone to guard Michael, and the rest of us will double-team him."
"Zeng, are you sure you want to be the primary defender on Michael?"
"No, I'll handle him." Zeng Zhen's tone was very firm.
"Good." Ben Holland was very satisfied with Zeng Zhen's attitude; he had greatly underestimated Zeng Zhen's defensive abilities.
Despite being in the lead, no one at UCLA was going to relax prematurely; everyone remained on edge.
The second half of the game continued, and Beasley found himself fighting alone, carrying Kansas State University with difficulty, while Zeng Zhen tried his best to cause him trouble.
While it's impossible to completely stop him from scoring, it can make him feel uncomfortable.
Zeng Zhen didn't have many open looks. In this kind of competition, it's hard to create open shots, but he still has scoring ability. He can occasionally make shots when facing defenders. The score between the two sides fluctuated around 10 points.
The score remained close, but Zeng Zhen's ranking in the eyes of many scouts continued to rise.
13 minutes 22 seconds.
Zeng Zhen and Westbrook's double-teaming of Beasley caused him to make another mistake.
UCLA's counterattack was met with cheers from the fans in the stadium.
Westbrook drives to the basket, while Zeng Zhen sprints down the other side.
Westbrook drew the attention of the retreating guards and, while moving, threw the ball into the air.
Zeng Zhen jumped with all his might, took a step into the air, caught the ball at the high point on the right side of the basket, and then slammed it down hard.
"box!!"
"Great pass!!" Zeng Zhen gave Westbrook a thumbs up after landing.
Westbrook grinned, knowing how amazing Zeng Zhen's talent was. Although Zeng Zhen didn't have many fancy dunking moves, he was still able to complete such a dunk.
"Just keep fighting!!"
Ben Holland celebrated with a heavy fist pump on the sidelines.
This UCLA backcourt is amazing; it's exactly what he's dreamed of.
It can attack and defend, it can transition between offense and defense, and it can shoot three-pointers!
Hao Wei continued writing in his notebook: "Zeng Zhen is not only an excellent shooter, but his physical talent is underestimated. He has an extremely strong finishing ability in fast breaks."
Just as I finished writing, Kansas State once again missed a shot, and then Love grabbed the rebound.
At this moment, Zeng Zhen was already running down the court, and Love sent a long pass across the halfway line to Zeng Zhen.
Zeng Zhen took a step forward and, during a high-speed transition, adjusted his position a step away from the left three-point line.
A three-pointer after a sudden stop and transition!
The basketball traced a beautiful trajectory.
"box!"
"Whoosh!"
The basketball hit the inside edge of the rim and fell down.
After completing the three-pointer, Zeng Zhen shook his head and gestured to Love that the pass was excellent.
"nice shot!"
Love stood with his hands on his hips, panting heavily. His ideal teammate was this kind of super finisher.
[Fuck, another transition three-pointer, awesome!]
Kansas State has no chance; they got crushed.
UCLA is now truly making its mark.
Zeng Zhen is now a super shooter; he can hit any shot.
[Haha, he caused a lot of trouble for Kansas's defensive system.]
The UCLA fans in the arena erupted in cheers like a tsunami as Zeng Zhen continued to captivate them with his scoring prowess.
Hao Wei grew increasingly worried as he watched. Zeng Zhen showed no signs of slowing down in the second half, and he had already seen several familiar scouts discussing Zeng Zhen's situation with the general manager.
Compared to familiar faces like Beasley, Westbrook, and Love, Zeng Zhen is a refreshing presence.
These scouts and general managers haven't seen such a new face put on such a spectacular individual performance in a long time.
Zeng Zhen was undoubtedly the brightest star on the court tonight!
Bill Henry and Beasley were both sweating profusely on the field, and as time went on, they could feel that it was becoming increasingly difficult to catch up.
They can't break through their defenses, and UCLA's momentum is getting stronger as the game progresses.
In the subsequent games, Zeng Zhen continued to serve as a focal point, constantly helping the team to draw the opponent's defense. On the defensive end, he also set an example by putting immense pressure on the Kansas State University guards.
Kansas State University is now giving Zeng Zhen absolutely no room to maneuver.
They knew that if they shot Zeng Zhen like that, they would be killed.
With 3 minutes and 10 seconds left in the game, the score difference between the two sides reached 20 points, and Ben Holland substituted Zeng Zhen to rest.
"Zeng, you did a great job." Ben Holland patted Zeng Zhen on the back excitedly. Ben Holland felt that it was worth trying to make Zeng Zhen the core player next season.
"Yes!!" Zeng Zhen nodded seriously.
Every player sitting on the bench stood up and gave Zeng Zhen a high-five, and even a senior student offered Zeng Zhen his seat.
Zeng Zhen could clearly feel the sense of respect that came with his improved personal abilities.
"Buzz!!!"
The final score was 90-72.
UCLA defeated Kansas State University by 18 points.
曾振本场比赛三分球12中6，两分球7中5，罚球2中2，拿到了30分3助攻3篮板3抢断3失误的数据。
This is his first 30+ point game in his NCAA career!!