me to give Utah State an 80-79 win over Utah Valley on Saturday night.Rectors winning foul shot -- his second of

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Its long past time to debate whether the worlds top women cyclists can deliver a spectacle equal to the men. The greatness forged on empty roads revealed itself to a global audience Sunday in a way that should call the question forever.They raced ferociously, balancing risk and reward on their slender tires as they navigated a course whose varied microclimates made it half torment, half travelogue. Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten of the Netherlands, leading down the damp and treacherous descent of the Vista Chinesa, lost traction in a horrifying wreck that left her with three cracked vertebrae.Two gallant messages would appear on van Vleutens Twitter feed hours later, expressing gratitude and disappointment, saying she would be fine. But the four other women with a shot to win didnt know that when they passed her crumpled and frighteningly inert form seconds later.The superlative American climber Mara Abbott was closest. She had backed off van Vleutens wheel not long before, trusting the same instincts that have twice delivered her the championship of the Giro Rosa, the most demanding and prestigious womens stage race on the calendar.Abbott saw the wreckage by the side of the road, spared a thought for van Vleuten and refocused ahead. She nearly soloed to the line, but it was a three-on-one drag race in the flats.Her pursuers reeled her in with less than 200 meters to go. Another Dutch rider, Anna van der Breggen, won the sprint in what could hardly have been a more theatrical finish. Abbott came in fourth.The 30-year-old Abbott spoke afterward with the calm of an athlete conscious she was in competitive shock. Rios grueling, decisive climb played to her strength, and there is no guarantee that kind of topography will be a feature on the 2020 course or that she will even be in Tokyo to contest the race.Its going to take a lifetime to process, she said. Youll never have that chance again in your entire life. But you never know what comes out of what.Abbotts three U.S. teammates -- Kristin Armstrong, Evelyn Stevens and Megan Guarnier -- executed near-flawlessly and unselfishly to put her in position to win, which was notable for a couple of reasons.As has been the norm in recent Olympic lead-ups, the U.S. team was only finalized after two other riders challenged the selection in arbitration. That, in turn, has led to the back-channel perception of the American women overall as a squabbling pack who would have trouble coalescing on competition day -- a condescending, sexist and unfounded stereotype.The choice of two-time defending Olympic time-trial champion Armstrong was particularly controversial in part because of the demanding nature of the road race course. But Sunday, the 41-year-old Armstrong put in a huge effort on the front of the race in the flat and undulating sections before pulling out at the base of the final climb.Kristin did a fantastic job taking us in -- she was just awesome today, said Stevens, who along with Guarnier worked for Abbott until it was time for her to attack.Armstrong came up behind Abbott in mid-interview and embraced her. Both women cried.Im heartbroken for Mara, Armstrong said. I really wanted to come back for a lot of reasons. I have my time trial goals on Wednesday, but I also really wanted to contribute to history in the road race and I really believed in this team.I cant imagine being where she is right now. Shes gonna have a lot of sleepless nights.This is a distinctive group who are a step removed from the pioneers, but still had to scrap for survival in their economically unstable sport. They all came to it relatively late and will exit it with other passions in their hip pockets. Guarnier intends to pursue graduate work in neuroscience. Armstrong is a converted triathlete, the mother of a young son and works as a community liaison for a large hospital. Stevens, who also will race the Olympic time trial, discovered cycling while working on Wall Street.An interesting combination of blunt and ethereal, Abbott teaches yoga, works at a farmers market in her longtime base of Boulder, Colorado, and has long felt a tug toward environmental causes. She has characterized her very public and painful battle with an eating disorder as a climb that never really levels out.Three years ago, Abbott told me her biggest challenge was owning her athletic talent. If you hold back, you dont have to take responsibility for who you are, she said.Its long past time to debate whether she and her contemporaries have done that. If anyone needs convincing, all they need to do is watch. Jordan 1 Black Toe For Sale . Gather a group of friends, or find a league to join online, draft your team, set your lineup and compete in a number of different formats. Air Jordan 1 Wholesale . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. http://www.saleairjordan1.com/ . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. Air Jordan 1 Sale . The team said Saturday that Lopez was hurt during its 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia on Friday. The Nets said they would issue another update next week after consultation with their doctors. Air Jordan 1 Retro For Sale . Arsenal failed to take full advantage of its main rivals stumbles on Saturday as substitute Gerard Deulofeu levelled with a hard shot from a tight angle in the 84th minute to give Everton a deserved point. Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. OREM, Utah -- Shane Rector sank a free throw with one second to play in overtime to give Utah State an 80-79 win over Utah Valley on Saturday night.Rectors winning foul shot -- his second of two -- came after he first tied the game at 79 following a back-and-forth battle for dominance throughout the overtime period.Koby McEwen led the Aggies (5-4) with 21 points. Rector finished with 18 points and Jalen Moore added 15.Conner Toolson notched his first career double-double with 24 pointts and 11 rebounds for the Wolverines (5-4).dddddddddddd Isaac Neilson added 16 points and 14 rebounds.The Wolverines led 38-32 at the break but Utah State battled back and a dunk by Rector put the Aggies on top 71-70 with just over a minute to go. Neilson tied it at 71 on a free throw with 52 seconds remaining in regulation, sending the game into overtime. ' ' '