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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Geno Auriemma and Diana Taurasi shared a long, emotional embrace. Mission accomplished.The dominant U.S. womens basketball team did what was expected, winning a sixth consecutive Olympic gold medal and doing it in impressive fashion. In yet another rout, the U.S. dismantled Spain 101-72 on Saturday.Taurasi and the Americans played nearly flawless basketball in Rio, and they were never challenged. They have won 49 consecutive games in the Olympics, with only one of those decided by single digits.Its amazing, isnt it? I mean, when you think, thats 20 years ... Auriemma said. You know the first one was 96, and here we are, 2016. Its mind-boggling when you think about it, what this team has been able to accomplish, this program of the USA Basketball program. There is such a level of expectation, theres such a level of respect for the people at the very top.Were doing stuff that may never be done again.Even with that kind of sustained success by some very talented U.S. teams, this might be the best womens basketball squad ever assembled. The team won by nearly 40 points a game, but it fell short of the record 102.4 points the 1996 team averaged.But if this isnt the best ever, its close.Taurasi, a four-time gold medalist, said she puts the 2016 group at the top of the list.I mean, Im not just saying talent-wise, she said. Im not saying margin of victory. Im saying this is the most determined, unselfish team Ive ever been on -- hands down.There never really was any doubt that the U.S. would win the gold in Rio. The only question was by how much.Still, closure to their journey Saturday had Auriemma and Taurasi fighting back tears.I think it was a very emotional time, Auriemma said. When youre around these players and youre around Sue [Bird] and Diana and Tamika [Catchings], and you know that this may be their last and youre able to send them out, its like graduating seniors back home. And at the same time, youve got three young players whove never been here before. They get to go home with their first gold medal ever.Theres just a lot of emotions running through our team and running through our locker room.Unlike their semifinal win over France when the Americans looked discombobulated for a half, the U.S. was more fluid offensively. It helped having Bird back in the lineup. Bird, a four-time gold medalist and team captain, missed the semifinal game with a sprained right knee capsule. She wasnt 100 percent Saturday, but she was good enough.The U.S., which beat Spain by 40 in a preliminary round game, got off to a slow start and led only 21-17 after the first quarter. The Americans were up 27-24 in the second quarter before getting going.Auriemma turned to something very familiar to him to spark the Americans.The UConn coach put his five former Huskie players on the court at the same time for the first time in the Olympics, and that group started the 16-3 run that blew it open. Breanna Stewart got the spurt started with two free throws. Taurasi then hit consecutive 3-pointers, her first points of the game, as the Americans scored 10 straight.By the time Lindsay Whalens layup just beat the halftime buzzer, the U.S. led 49-32 and Spain had just two baskets in the final 6:55 of the half. Whalen finished the game with 17 points, tied for the team lead with Taurasi.Spain never threatened in the second half. Auriemma started the fourth quarter with Bird, Taurasi and Catchings on the court and the game in hand. The three four-time Olympians have had a tremendous impact on USA Basketball over the past 12 years. He took the trio out together for one final time with 5:44 left in the game.Auriemma had said from the start this group was on a mission that is now complete.Even with the loss, Spain earned its first Olympic medal in womens basketball. The Spaniards have been on the rise lately, also winning a silver medal at the 2014 world championships. They are hosting the 2018 worlds.Im glad that we could compete like the first quarter, Spains Silvia Dominguez said. We were close, but its a team like its a dream team. The best team in the world, they showed that.They did, and the gold-medal game was just like the rest of this tournament -- all about the U.S.No American team has been deeper with Catchings as its 12th player. They trailed for just over 11 minutes in the entire Olympics, and the biggest deficit was just four points -- 6-2 to France. They never were down after the first quarter, and with the exception of the semifinal win over France, all the games were pretty much decided after 20 minutes.Its been quite a run for this group, which features 12 players with a combined 29 Olympic gold medals, the most ever for any team.This game marked the end of Catchings Olympic career. She is retiring at the end of the WNBA season. Taurasi and Bird have hinted that this will be their final Olympics, although both could still return in four years in Tokyo. The trio joined Lisa Leslie and Teresa Edwards as the only Olympians to win four gold medals.Even if the three players dont wear the red, white and blue again, the future remains bright for the U.S. Elena Delle Donne, Brittney Griner and Stewart all won their first Olympic golds. Maya Moore, Tina Charles and Angel McCoughtry should be back in 2020 as well, providing a solid nucleus for USA Basketball to build on. Evan Longoria Jersey Large . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. Custom Rays Jerseys . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. http://www.customraysjersey.com/ . A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne. Custom Rays Jersey China . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. Wholesale Custom Rays Shirts . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL.HARRISON, N.J. -- Before Saturdays practice, Tim Cahill had a premonition about New York Red Bulls teammate Fabian Espindola. "I told Fabian yesterday that he was going to score," Cahill said of the Red Bulls forward, who got his first goal since April 20 in a 2-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo on Sunday. "It didnt matter how long he had been without a goal," Cahill said. "Hes been playing well. When our front line plays well, it takes the pressure off the midfield. Im so happy for him. Ive said time and time again that this team cant worry about stats. We have to worry about getting wins." Espindola broke a scoreless tie in the 60th minute off a feed from Eric Alexander. Jonny Steele put the game away with two minutes left in regulation, giving the Red Bulls (8-6-4) their first win since defeating Los Angeles on May 19. They were 0-2-1 during that span, which included a three-week hiatus. "It was huge for us," said first-year coach Mike Petke. "I think todays game was vital. I wont say the must-win thing, but it was a very vital game. If we dominated like the way we did, thats a positive step to get back to the mentality we had before the break." The Red Bulls moved within one point of first-place Montreal in the Eastern Conference. Houston (6-6-5) remained winless in its last seven matches, going 0-4-3. "Were just making too many mistakes and those mistakes punish you," Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear said. "Overall, our play has been good, but sometimes it comes down to what youre doing in both boxes. You go through things like this in the MLS, but just because youve done it before doesnt mean Im not worried and upset." Espindola, who had two goals in the season opener, got behind the defence after Aleexander fed him with a perfect lead.dddddddddddd He made a solid 20-yard run with the ball, then touched a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Tally Hall for Espindolas fourth of the season. Steele then put the game away in the 88th minute. He took a return pass from Thierry Henry and buried it hard into the upper right corner of the goal. It was Steeles second goal of the season. "We were playing very hard and we got some good chances," Steele said. "We had our chances in the second half and we capitalized. If you keep a clean sheet, then you have a good chance to win." Steele took a kick to the face from Kofi Sarkodie in first-half stoppage time and received a cut to the chin that required five stitches. "But nothing was going to keep me off the field today," Steele said. Petke credited the play of his two goal scorers. "If you would have told me before the season that Fabian and Jonny would be front-line starters for us at this point, I would have said, Probably not," Petke said. "The two of them work so hard. They epitomize what hard work means. They got rewards for their hard and work and it was good for them." Luis Robles made three saves for his fifth shutout of the season. "It was a real important win for us," Cahill said. "We needed to bring back some stability. We hadnt won in a while. But I felt confident from the start. I knew we had the upper hand. I didnt feel like they could hurt us as long as we played with discipline." The Dynamo failed to score a goal for their third straight game. "Its been a difficult time for us and things have been going against us," Giles Barnes said. "Its a game of inches. ... Once we get one, then things will open up for us." ' ' '