NAMPA, Idaho – McKenna Emerson never imagined her first collegiate basketball game would be on a court more suitable for a pickup game.

Or that it would be in Cuba.

Emerson, a Northwest Nazarene redshirt freshman who missed last season with a knee injury, joined her teammates on a five-day trip to the Caribbean nation earlier this month.

The Nighthawks, who are the first United States women's basketball team to play a game in Cuba, played against the country's U23 national champions. NNU won the first game 99-57, hitting 14 3-pointers and the second game 79-63.

They did this all while playing on an indoor-outdoor court in the heat and high humidity.

"I've never played in a weirder setting," NNU senior Avery Albrecht said. "It was the coolest basketball game I've ever played. You could see palm trees shooting up outside the court.

"It was the first time (head coach Steve Steele) told us not to dive for a ball because the court was all splintered. I'm not sure if you would ever come back up if you dove down."

The court was elevated by 18 inches and the basketball hoop standards were unpadded and just a foot beyond the baseline. Wooden floorboards had to be replaced during the games and the sun was shining on the right side of the court added to the intensity.

Despite the challenges, the games were an unadulterated success.

"Playing in the game was really fun," NNU sophomore Erin Jenkins said. "Who plays on an indoor/outdoor court? It was really cool to see how their style of play is different compared to ours."

Of the players that made the trip, only four had ever played a game together – Albrecht, Zoe Wessels, Jenkins and Jordan Pinson. Starting point guard Marina Valles did not go to Cuba.

These games were a chance to see how the six true freshmen and three redshirt freshmen meshed together on the court.

"This trip gave us the opportunity to help (the newcomers) adjust to our culture," Albrecht said. "Coach did such a good job recruiting, that they have no problem adjusting. But it was super important to give us the opportunity to understand what kind of talent we are working with and what style of game we are going to play."

The trip also helped the team bond and work on its chemistry.

"By the end of the trip, we were so close," Wessels said. "I didn't really understand this trip at first and why we were taking it this year, but coach said it was more about bonding than basketball."

The trip was a success off the court as well, as the team spent a day at the beach, took a guided tour of a cave that included a boat ride, explored the variety of forts surrounding Havana, went to museums and attended a Nazarene church.

"The best part was experiencing the overall culture of Cuba," Emerson said, "and the opportunity to get to play basketball against the girls there."

The trip also served as a reminder of how fortunate the team is to live in America.

"I don't think our trip could have gone any better since we came in with no expectations," Albrecht said. "We all left amazed by the people there and their culture and the way that they don't need a lot – I'm sure they want more, but they make the best out of what they have."

For head coach Steve Steele, who has traveled extensively internationally, Cuba was an eye opener.

"I've been to more than a dozen countries and I don't think I've been anywhere that didn't have McDonald's or Coca-Cola or Starbucks," he said. "Even just driving around, Cuba looks like a place that was abandoned 50 years ago. The only thing that has been kept up well is art work, monuments, sculptures, paintings and fountains. You can see that there has been no Western influence on the place since the 1950s. It looks like a place that time has forgotten."

A side benefit to the slow advances of technology in Cuba was the lack of cell phone coverage and internet access.

The only time the players could connect to the internet on their phones were when they were at the hotel, which was really only at night.

"I think that enhanced the team building aspect," Steele said. "You had to talk and spend time together. Things are just slower there. You could take photos and videos with your phones, but you couldn't be on the internet or on social media."

The group was scheduled to put on a clinic for the youth there, but government officials shut it down. Still, the Nighthawks were able to interact with some kids at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center. They also gave back by bringing clothes, shoes, Bibles and backpacks to donate to the kids.

After the second game, the players and coaches gave away all the supplies they had played with – including shoes, ankle braces, knee braces, clipboards, markers and more.

"I think seeing their faces light up when we handed them those things was an unforgettable memory," Jenkins said. "It was amazing."