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SPORTS Thursday 12 sepTember 2019

Gilbert wins

another Vuelta stage

as Roglic’s lead cut

GUADALAJARA, Spain The former ski jumper from
(AP) — Mastering strong Slovenia was nearly three
winds that pushed riders to minutes ahead of the pack
speeds of 75 kph (46 mph), after Monday’s 16th stage.
veteran Philippe Gilbert Quintana’s Movistar team-
won his second Spanish mate, Alejandro Valverde,
Vuelta stage on Wednes- dropped from second to
day, while Primoz Roglic third overall as he failed to
lost a few seconds from his keep up with Quintana on
overall lead after a charge Wednesday.
by Nairo Quintana. “It was a hard day. I made
Gilbert beat Sam Bennett a mistake. I shouldn’t have
in the final sprint of the been where I was, I should
219.6-kilometer (136.4-mile) have been in the front,”
17th stage, the longest of Roglic said.
the three-week race that “The team saved me with a United States’ coach Gregg Popovich looks on during a quarterfinal match against France for the
ends Sunday in Madrid. big effort. We’re still in a re- FIBA Basketball World Cup in Dongguan in southern China’s Guangdong province on Wednesday,
Remi Cavagna, Gilbert’s ally good position. It was a Sept. 11, 2019. France defeated United States 89-79.
teammate with Deceun- hard day for everyone. We Associated Press
inck-Quick Step, finished lost a battle today, but not World Cup quarters
third in one of the fastest the war. We’ll see in Ma-
Vuelta stages due to the drid, but things are still look- Continued from Page 17 guard Kemba Walker said. Utah center read what the
winds that took riders to an ing really good for us.” “We lost. There’s nothing Utah guard was going to
average speed of about Quintana was among the “And in this situation, it hurts we can do. We competed. do perfectly, swatting the
50 kph (31 mph). riders who broke away ear- more. But life goes on. This We’ve been competing try away.
“It was crazy from the gun,” ly and held on at the front. is very important and we since day one that we got France had been 0-9
said Gilbert, a 37-year-old “We will give everything would have loved to have to training camp. But we against the U.S. in major
Belgian who had also won we have until the end,” won ... but we’re all grown, gave it everything we’ve international play, most of
the 12th stage. “It was re- the 29-year-old Colombian we all have families and got. I know we’re Team those outcomes one-sided
ally fast. said. “The team helped me lives and life goes on.” USA and things of that na- affairs. But the last meet-
At some point we were do- the entire day. The strategy The U.S. had won 58 con- ture and they’ve been win- ing between the nations
ing, even on the flat, 75 kph was very good. We are still secutive tournament ning for a lot of years, but was only a 100-97 U.S. win
(46 mph). In 17 years as a in the fight.” games in FIBA and Olympic you know, we didn’t get a at the Rio de Janeiro Olym-
pro, I don’t think I’ve ever Riders were coming off the competition, starting with chance to pull it off.” pics three years ago, and
done that. It was really, re- race’s last rest day on Tues- the bronze-medal game Nando De Colo scored 18 France returned three play-
ally crazy.” day. at the 2006 world cham- for France. The French held ers — Gobert, De Colo and
Roglic, who has worn the They face a tough moun- pionships and continuing the U.S. to 4 for 15 shooting Batum — who got minutes
overall leader’s red jersey tain stage of 177.5 kilome- through every FIBA Ameri- in the fourth quarter — and in that game.
since the 10th stage, saw ters (110.3 miles) on Thurs- cas, World Cup and Olym- benefited from the Ameri- None of the U.S. players
Quintana reduce his lead day with four Category 1 pics event since. It was bid- cans going 4 for 11 from who played that afternoon
to 2 minutes, 24 seconds. climbs.q ding to become the first the foul line in the final 10 in Rio is on this year’s World
nation to win three consec- minutes. Cup team.
utive World Cups, after win- “We came here to win France outrebounded the
ning three straight Olympic gold,” Gobert said. “We U.S. 21-12 in the first half,
golds in that span. knew it wasn’t going to Gobert found his way to
The best the Americans be easy. A lot of people the line 10 times in the
can do now in China is fin- counted us out, but we got game’s first 20 minutes and
ish fifth, and they’re assured the win.” the Americans went into
of their worst finish in a big Gobert said beating the the break trailing 45-39. The
tournament with NBA play- Americans wasn’t the goal U.S. had trailed for 8:25 in
ers since placing sixth at the — winning gold is. their first five games com-
2002 world championships. “It doesn’t mean anything bined — and trailed for
They’re going home with a if you don’t win in the end,” 11:24 in the first half alone
berth in the 2020 Olympics Gobert said. on Wednesday.
secured but no medal. France was up 10 early in Fournier’s layup with 7:33
Donovan Mitchell scored the second half. The U.S. left in the third gave France
29 points for the U.S., all went on a 31-14 run over a 53-43 lead, and that’s
of them coming in the first the next 10 minutes to go when Mitchell got going.
three quarters. The Ameri- up by seven. And then the He had 14 points in the third
cans came up scoreless French responded with a quarter, and his dunk with
on six consecutive posses- 15-2 run over the next five 2:40 left pulled the U.S. into
sions down the stretch, the minutes, going up 82-76 on a 60-60 tie. Marcus Smart
drought that allowed the a long jumper by Frank Nti- made three free throws af-
French to take control of a likina with 2:05 left. ter getting fouled by Gob-
back-and-forth game for Mitchell had a chance to ert to put the U.S. back on
the final time. get the U.S. within two with top, and the Americans
“Just got to take it like about a minute left, driving took a 66-63 lead into the
a man at this point,” U.S against Gobert — but the fourth.q