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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Olympic roundup: U.S. men, women romp in basketball

Associated Press

After sluggish start, U.S. men romp 113-69

Red, white and blase for one quarter, the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team woke up and won with ease.

Shaking off a sluggish, sloppy start and maybe some Brazilian boredom, the Americans regrouped in the second quarter and romped over Venezuela 113-69 on Monday, taking another step toward a possible third straight gold medal.

Kevin Durant scored 16 points and Carmelo Anthony 14 for the U.S. squad, which may have grown a touch overconfident following a 57-point blowout of China in its tournament opener.

The Americans were tied at 18-all after one quarter, but stopped turning the ball over and fouling, unleashed their defense and outscored Venezuela 30-8 in the second period. They cruised from there.

Next up is Australia, whicih beat Serbia 95-80 on Monday. Patty Mills scored 26 points and Matthew Dellavedova had 23 points and 13 assists for the Australians while Andrew Bogut (Washington State) had nine points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three blocks.

U.S. women go over century mark again

From top to bottom this version of the American Olympic women’s basketball team is stacked with offensive weapons. And at the early pace they are scoring at the Rio Games, they might break the 1996 team’s record average of 102.4 points a game.

Diana Taurasi scored 13 points and Sylvia Fowles added 12 on Monday as the U.S. posted its second blowout in as many days, beating Spain 103-63 on Monday. That’s two consecutive contests the U.S. scored at least 100 points – the last time the Americans did that was in 2004.

Australian cyclist out of hospital after crash

Australian cyclist Melissa Hoskins was released from the hospital hours after a terrifying crash in training Monday, and she still hopes to compete in the team pursuit competition later this week.

The team of Hoskins, Ashlee Ankudinoff, Georgia Baker, Amy Cure and Annette Edmondson were at race speed of nearly 37 mph when they clipped wheels at the end of the back straight.

Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten crashed from the lead on the same descent in the women’s race Sunday, sending her to the hospital with a concussion and three fractures of her spine. She was still in the hospital Monday while awaiting the results of more tests.

Djokovic out of games; Serena wins

Novak Djokovic’s Rio Olympics are over.

The 12-time major champion lost in doubles Monday, a day after he was eliminated in the first round in singles by 2009 U.S. Open winner Juan Martin del Potro. After he and Serbian teammate Nenad Zimonjic fell 6-4, 6-4 to third-seeded Brazilians Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares in the second round, Djokovic confirmed that he won’t play mixed doubles.

The world’s top-ranked player is still seeking his first Olympic gold. He’ll be 33 at the 2020 Games, and he said Monday that “I really hope I will have another shot at the medal.”

Serena Williams is safely into the third round of the Rio Olympics as she bids for a second consecutive singles gold medal. The No. 1-seeded American struggled for quite a while before emerging with a 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over France’s Alize Cornet.

Judo gold medalist may be in trouble

The International Judo Federation says Kosovo’s first Olympic judo champion, Majlinda Kelmendi, may be facing sanctions in France for failing to comply with a drug test in June.

American diving duo takes silver medal

China easily won its second gold medal in diving at the Rio Olympics, dominating the men’s 10-meter synchronized event. Chen Aisen and Lin Yue cruised to victory by 39.87 points. American teammates David Boudia and Steele Johnson took silver at 457.11.