(Photo courtesy Bloomington Flex)
By WJBC Staff
YANGZHONG, China – The Bloomington Flex upped its record to 5-2 on its tour of China with a convincing 87-70 win over the Cuban National Team at Yangzhong Olympic Sports Center.
With the Chinese Olympic Field Hockey Team in attendance, the Flex zoomed to a 20-5 first quarter lead on a Justin Bocot fall-away jumper with 4:20 to play in the period. But the Cubans responded with a 12-2 run to cut the Flex lead to 22-17 at the end of the quarter.
Cuba got within three just a few seconds into the start of the second quarter, but a C. J. Hampton 3-pointer sparked a consistency in the offense for the rest of the game. Bloomington ended the first half up 43-32.
The Flex continued the pressure in the second half, opening up a 19-point lead on a Nate Fuqua fast-break layup. The Cubans cut the lead to 54-44 with 4:11 to play in the third before Bryant Austin scored five consecutive points to push the lead back to 15. The third quarter ended with the Flex ahead, 65-44.
In the fourth quarter as the Flex battled to close out the Cubans, it had to battle the scorer’s table as well, as on several occasions. With the Flex up 15 and threatening to blow the game open, the scoreboard operator credited baskets to the Cuban team that were not scored and did not credit points scored by the Flex until team officials pointed out the irregularities.
Before the chaos, Hampton scored seven consecutive points on two 3-pointers and a free throw. Every field goal for the Flex the rest of the period was either a dunk or lay-up as they ran the Cubans out of gas down the stretch.
Bocot led the Flex with 19 points while Harry Marshall scored 13 and Austin and Matt Salley each had 11 and Hampton had 10.
The Flex head to Lu Gao where it has a rematch with the Belgrade Stars, who beat the Flex, 62-61, on May 16.
