The two teams were evenly matched, exchanging blows on both offense and defense, and the score had reached 78-77. Qingbei team was trailing by one point.
The score remained very close, with both sides trying to find a new breakthrough and pull away in the final five minutes.
Qingbei team has possession of the ball.
Lu Yu dribbled the ball across half-court.
Yu Mengmeng accelerated, forcing Lu Yu to stop her offensive drive. Lu Yu was stuck outside the three-point line.
Lu Yu lowered her body, increased the speed of her dribbling, and swayed her body to the right. Just when everyone thought Lu Yu would use a crossover step to get past her opponent, she suddenly turned to the side, dribbled behind her back, and quickly broke through from the left side.
In the blink of an eye, Lu Yu used her exquisite ball control skills to get past Yu Mengmeng, and she finally succeeded in completing a quick one-on-one breakthrough.
Lu Yu's speed in getting past opponents was too fast, so fast that many people didn't even have time to react before Lu Yu used his crossover dribbling to get past the two defenders who were just following Zhou Qing's team.
Zhang Fan didn't care about anything else and ran hard to try to make up for the defensive play. Lu Yu seized the opportunity when the opponent was distracted and jumped to shoot.
Score.
"Lu Yu's solo dribble and shot!" Liu Du, the commentator, was still a little taken aback.
Meng Xiaotong watched Lu Yu running and said, "Such speed and ball control are terrifying. This goal was won entirely by Lu Yu's individual strength."
"Faced with Yu Mengmeng's focused defense, Lu Yu didn't try to get past her by feinting her shoulders this time. It's obvious that Yu Mengmeng has specifically trained on how to defend against her 'butterfly step'," Feng Xu explained from a professional perspective. "Lu Yu fought her way through Zhou Qing's defensive net."
Meng Xiaotong added, "Now the only way to gain the upper hand in the outside offensive and defensive battles is to find a way to directly break through the opponent's defense. This is the same for both the Qingbei team and the Zhouqing team."
The coaching staff of Qingbei Team and Zhouqing Team understand better what this means.
When the game is deadlocked, whoever can break the opponent's defensive formation first will gain the initiative.
Zhou Qing's team, being a veteran powerhouse, had a precise grasp of the ever-changing situation on the court, and quickly called a timeout.
When the game resumed, Zhou Qing's team made significant adjustments to their defensive formation.
Lu Yu dribbled the ball and ran, and Zhou Qing's small forwards Zhang Fan and Yu Mengmeng double-teamed Lu Yu.
On the left, Zhang Fan's body was poised to stop the ball, while on the right, Yu Mengmeng was waiting for her chance to intercept and steal it.
Lu Yu felt the voice beside her suddenly draw closer.
[Finally, an opening has appeared. Without Zhang Fan, I can definitely make a breakthrough from this position.]
That was Sun Meng's idea.
With her exceptional judgment of the situation, Lu Yu acted instantly, suddenly retreating.
The basketball passed between Zhang Fan and Yu Mengmeng, bounced off the ground, and returned precisely to Sun Meng's position.
After receiving the ball, Sun Meng quickly dribbled into the attacking area near the sideline, which is Sun Meng's territory. If you are even a second late, Sun Meng will either score a layup or dunk.
The other defenders on Zhou Qing's team rushed over to block Sun Meng's offensive route. Zhou Qing's defensive rhythm was instantly disrupted by this offensive move.
In the blink of an eye, Sun Meng dribbled past Zhou Qing's power forward and tossed the basketball before anyone else could arrive.
To everyone's surprise, Sun Meng didn't shoot. She had successfully cut the ball into the paint, but instead tossed it outwards.
The basketball flew high in the air—
"Feiyu, three-pointer!" Sun Meng's voice accompanied the flying basketball.
Chu Feiyu pursed her lips, took a step, caught the basketball, and immediately jumped to shoot.
"Swoosh—"
The basketball transformed into a speeding race car, leaving a trail of afterimages.
"Wow--!!!"
The three-pointer drew enthusiastic cheers from the entire arena.
"Young player Chu Feiyu's shot is incredibly fast. I think she adjusted her posture in mid-air before shooting. Her hang time is truly frightening. Do all the guards on the Qingbei team specifically train their hang time?" Liu Du commented humorously.
Meng Xiaotong said with a smile, "Lu Yu showed us the threat of combo guards with her hang time, and Sun Meng immediately demonstrated the dominance of a swingman. You thought she was an offensive shooter, but who would have thought she was an organizer of the offense? The inside-outside coordination between Sun Meng and Chu Feiyu was really clever."
"This may be a helpless choice. Zhou Qing team has to devote a lot of defensive energy to Lu Yu, who is just starting to gain momentum." Feng Xu pointed out the key issue. "Actually, I am a little worried about Zhou Qing team now. If Zhou Qing team's attack in the next round cannot be effective immediately, it will be really dangerous. The defense has already collapsed visibly."
The situation on the field developed exactly as Feng Xu had predicted.
Lu Yu and Chu Feiyu's perimeter defense made it difficult for Zhou Qing's team to press forward offensively.
Yu Mengmeng made a touchdown pass to Zhu Ying on the outside, but Chu Feiyu blocked Zhu Ying at a tricky angle in front of the sideline, and Zhu Ying failed to catch the ball, which went out of bounds.
Qingbei team regained possession, and Sun Meng used two jab steps to shake off the opposing defenders before slamming the ball in with a powerful dunk, igniting the entire arena.
Qingbei team finally widened the gap slightly, and the scales of victory began to tip.
With 22 seconds left, Zhou Qing's team was down by 5 points.
Yu Mengmeng immediately sped up her attack.
Only by hitting two consecutive three-pointers within twenty-two seconds can Zhou Qing's team have a chance of winning. The time advantage is in Qingbei's hands.
Yu Mengmeng quickly passed the ball to Zhu Ying, who was also on the outside.
Zhu Ying immediately moved her arm, preparing to shoot. Chu Feiyu immediately jumped to block the shot in mid-air.
Just as Zhu Ying was about to use a fake shot to break through, her hand went empty.
It was Lu Yu who stole the ball!
Zhu Ying stood there stunned. Lu Yu had actually gotten past Yu Mengmeng in such a short time and even managed to find her dribbling rhythm and steal the basketball in just two steps.
"Back up and defend!" Yu Mengmeng shouted.
Zhu Ying immediately followed Lu Yu.
Lu Yu was once again double-teamed, with Yu Mengmeng and Zhu Ying on high alert.
Chu Feiyu reacted quickly, running from the wing to receive the ball. Lu Yu passed the basketball to Chu Feiyu from the side, and Chu Feiyu dribbled the ball across half-court and immediately passed it to Sun Meng.
Just as Zhou Qing's team's inside defense closed in, Sun Meng dribbled the ball twice, directly faked out Zhang Fan who was guarding her, and passed the ball to Lu Yu on the outside.
At this moment, Zhou Qing's team's defense was mostly drawn away by Chu Feiyu and Sun Meng, leaving Lu Yu's defense vulnerable.
Without hesitation, Lu Yu received the ball and immediately launched a long-range shot, sinking a three-pointer!
The whistle and Liu Du's shout rang out at the same time.
"Three points! The game is over, 90 to 98, Qingbei team wins the decisive game and advances to the semifinals!" Liu Du's voice rose at the end, and it was still clearly audible through the loudspeaker in the noisy stadium.
Feng Xu was also quite excited, "Lu Yu truly proved himself in the quarterfinals. Who says point guards can't shoot three-pointers!"
Meng Xiaotong was still immersed in the wonderful teamwork of the last play. "Chu Feiyu and Lu Yu double-teamed and stole the ball, Sun Meng organized the offense, and Lu Yu hit a three-pointer from the outside. Such teamwork was really smooth and seamless."
"The key to Qingbei team's victory in this set was their excellent performance on the perimeter defense and their multi-pronged attack," Feng Xu summarized.
"Although the final score difference was 8 points, Zhou Qing's counterattack really kept Qingbei on their toes throughout the game. In such a clash between strong teams, no one really knows the outcome until the very last moment," Liu Du remarked.
Feng Xu gave a fair assessment: "Even after losing captain Luo Yan's dominance under the basket, Zhou Qing team is still able to play so tenaciously. It has to be said that this is a strong team that no one dares to underestimate. Next year, Zhou Qing team will make a comeback and bloom again."
Liu Du stared at the screen and said, "After five years of silence, Qingbei team has finally entered the semifinals again. Xiao Qi also mentioned in his pre-match interview today that Jiang team, where Weng Pei plays, won the quarterfinals yesterday and entered the semifinals. And Qingbei team's opponent in the semifinals is their old rival Jiang team. A new pattern is about to unfold."
When the two teams shook hands after the match, Luo Yan and Lu Yu smiled at each other.
"Let's meet again after the league ends. I'll be there to watch your semi-final match against Xiao Pei." Luo Yan's voice was as gentle as ever.
Lu Yu chuckled softly, "Weng Pei is watching us from the stands. Sister Yan, which team do you support, Qingbei or Jiang?"
"I don't support either of them. I'll definitely support my favorite team, Zhou Qing, in the league." Luo Yan's eyes gleamed. "However, I'll cheer for you and Xiao Pei."
...
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