Flex fall to Belgrade Stars in defensive affair
Flex needed a last-second shot to win on foreign soil
May 16, 2015
ZHUJI, China - For the second consecutive night, the Bloomington Flex needed a last-second shot to win on foreign soil. But, unlike last night, when Justin Bocot hit a free throw with 1.5 seconds for the victory, Nate Fuqua's 12-foot jumper rattled out as time expired, sending the Flex to a 62-61 loss against the Belgrade Stars at Jiyang Sports Complex.
Bloomington (1-1) got off to a faster start than it did the previous night against its Chinese opponent, taking a 14-12 lead after the first quarter.
Belgrade (2-0), however, took control in the second period as the Flex offense struggled to find a consistent flow in the international style of play, scoring just 13 points in the quarter. The Stars led at halftime 30-27.
Belgrade built an early six-point lead in the third quarter before the Flex took the lead back briefly with a minute to play on a Fabyon Harris layup. A three-point play, however, by the Stars, put the Flex down by two at 48-46 heading into the fourth.
The Stars opened the final frame with a pair of buckets, opening the lead to six at 52-46. They would hold that lead until the 1:23 mark when Bocot hit a three-pointer to give the Flex a 61-60 lead.
Bocot and Bryant Austin led the Flex with 12 points apiece. Aleksa Avramović led Belgrade with 16.
Belgrade then hit four free throws before Fuqua made a pair from the stripe with 5.8 seconds left. Bloomington forced a turnover after a Belgrade timeout, and then called a timeout of its own to set up the final play.
The Flex head to Dafeng on Sunday to play the Cuban National Team (1-1) that night to wrap up the friendly tournament.