May 19, 2015

GAOCHUN, China - The Bloomington Flex exacted a little revenge on their friends from the Cuban National Team, coming away with a hard-fought 79-74 win in the fourth and final game of the exhibition tour-opening friendly tournament. 

The Flex finished the tournament with a 2-2 record, while the Cubans fell to 2-2. The Belgrade Stars were the unofficial tournament champions, finishing play at 4-0. 

Bloomington finally seemed to get the hang of playing the international style of offense, jumping out to a 23-15 lead after the first quarter when Bryant Austin canned a three-pointer with :20 to play in the period. 

The Flex extended the lead to 13 at 37-24 with 4:41 to play in the second quarter on a Harry Marshall three-point play. But the Cubans closed the gap to four before Marshall closed out the half on an alley-oop from Justin Bocot to put the Flex up 43-37 at halftime. 

Bloomington kept the lead to around half a dozen for the entire third quarter, finishing out the period on a Tre Johnson dunk to put the Flex up 61-54. 

But the Cubans started out the fourth on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 63. They tied the game again a moment later at 65 before the Flex went on a 7-0 run of their own, capped off by a C. J. Hampton three-pointer. 

The Cubans, however, would not go away. A three-pointer got them to within one at 73-72 with 2:32 to play. 

Marshall then closed out the game for the Flex a three-pointer on the very next possession, followed by a pair of free throws with less than a minute to play. 

Marshall led Bloomington with 16 points, one of five Flex scoring in double figures. Justin Bocot, Bryant Austin, C. J. Hampton and Carl Montgomery all chipped in ten apiece. 

The Flex head to Beijing Wednesday, where they will again face the Belgrade Stars later in the week.