#FalconsInCuba: Day Three

The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team had another busy day on Friday (Aug. 12). The Falcons conducted a clinic for an excited group of children in Havana, visited the U.S. Embassy and returned to the basketball venue for an afternoon game.

CUBA DAY THREE GALLERY

After falling by seven points to the Cuban National Team on Thursday (Aug. 11), the Falcons picked up a seven-point win over the UCCFD (University of Science, Physical Culture and Sport) team. The Falcons downed the local university by a score of 61-54.

All of the players and coaches took part in the morning clinic, and it was hard to say who had more fun – the BGSU players or the children. Coach Jennifer Roos, her staff and her players put the youngsters through a series of instructional, yet entertaining, drills.

After returning to the hotel for lunch, the BGSU players and coaches boarded the bus once again, and this time the Falcons headed to the U.S. Embassy. The players and coaches met with a public affairs officer who works at the embassy, and enjoyed a very informative and enlightening talk.

Then, it was back to the arena for the game. The temperature was slightly lower than at game time on Thursday, but Friday's game featured a new wrinkle – a thunderstorm that began midway through the second quarter and continued into the third period. The teams actually continued playing when the lightning and thunder began, but as the game reached halftime, it began to rain. The start of the second half was delayed for several minutes while the storm passed.

As for the game, 11 of the 12 players on the active roster scored at least one point, while all 12 players grabbed at least one rebound. Ten different Falcons dished out one or more assists in the win.

Freshman Clare Glowniak led a balanced scoring attack with 10 points, while classmate Jane Uecker and junior Haley Puk each scored eight. Uecker had a team-high eight rebounds, while Glowniak pulled down six boards.

Sophomore Carly Santoro had seven points, while classmate Sydney Lambert scored six. Both Lambert and Santoro had five rebounds and two assists, and Lambert had a team-high three steals to Santoro's two.

Freshman Rion Thompson had six points and four rebounds, while junior Rachel Myers had five points and four boards. Senior Abby Siefker scored four points and had five rebounds, including a BG-best three at the offensive end, while classmate Ashley Tunstall had four points and four caroms. Senior Rachel Konieczki led the Falcons with four assists and also had two steals.

The Falcons burst out to an 18-4 lead after one quarter. Thompson and Glowniak scored early to give BG a 4-0 lead, and after the hosts knotted the score, the Brown and Orange scored the last 14 points of the opening period.

Five different players scored during that 14-0 run. Santoro had five points and two assists in that time, while Uecker had four points. Santoro's three-pointer closed the first quarter scoring.

In the second quarter, Lambert fed Puk for a three-pointer, and Konieczki found Glowniak inside, and the Falcons had a 23-8 lead. Another Glowniak bucket midway through the period began a 9-0 run. Thompson and sophomore Maddie Cole knocked down jumpers, and BGSU's lead was 33-14.

Lightning was spotted outside the venue with approximately four minutes left in the second quarter, and the storm continued during the rest of the period. Lambert fired a three-point try just as a bolt of lightning went from cloud to ground in the distance behind her, and when the shot went through the net, BG had a 36-14 lead.

The Cuban team, however, scored the last seven points of the half, hitting a pair of free throws just before the half ended and the rain began to fall. The start of the second half was delayed for several minutes while the storm blew over, but the home team stayed hot. A three-pointer cut BG's lead to just five points, 38-33, midway through the period.

Puk knocked down a three-point try, and Lambert drained a jumper, extending the lead to 10 points, but the hosts went on a 7-0 run to cut BG's advantage to 43-40. Puk knocked down a jumper in the paint as the third-quarter horn sounded, giving her team a five-point lead.

Uecker and Santoro sandwiched jumpers around a Cuban bucket as the fourth period began, and when freshman Andrea Cecil fed Uecker for another hoop, BG's lead was 51-42. A Glowniak basket restored the Falcons' double-figure lead, and the home team could not get any closer than the final seven-point margin.

A highlight of Saturday's (Aug. 13) itinerary sees the Falcons scheduled to take salsa dancing lessons. BGSU will play the third and final game of the trip on Sunday morning (Aug. 14), taking on the Cuban National Team, before heading to Veradero for the final few days of the trip.

Siefker and Cecil each took a few minutes to talk about Friday's events and their experiences on the trip so far.

Senior Abby Siefker
"This trip has been awesome. It's different than what I was expecting, although to be honest I'm not really sure what I was expecting. I love that our team's gotten to spend so much time together, and that we've gotten to know each other better.

"Today was definitely my favorite day so far, getting to work with the kids at the clinic. It was interesting with the language barrier, trying to teach them, but it was a lot of fun. The games have been fun as well. Both have been very competitive, and I think we've already gotten better as a team.

"The games have been interesting. They have a few different rules than we do, and it's been very physical. But, I think it's all making us stronger and tougher; we've had to push through all of the differences and find a way to play well together, which I think is good."

Freshman Andrea Cecil
"It's been great to be here and learn about the Cuban culture. Everyone seems to love us here. People have been stopping us on the street and talking to us, and they all seem to love Americans. It's been a little bit different than I expected, but it's very interesting. Seeing things like all of the old cars and how common they are here is interesting.

"The clinic this morning was a great experience. It was a lot of fun to be able to teach basketball, even though they don't understand us and we don't understand them. We used the game of basketball as a way of communication, and it was great to see how much fun the kids had.

"I have to say I've never had a rain delay in a basketball game before. That's a little different. There were a few things we had to get used to, like the weather conditions and the FIBA rules, but it was great to translate everything we've been working on in practice into an actual game."

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Andrea Cecil

Maddie Cole

Clare Glowniak

Rachel Konieczki

Sydney Lambert

Rachel Myers

Haley Puk

Carly Santoro

Abby Siefker

Caterrion Thompson

Ashley Tunstall

Jane Uecker

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