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Olympics-Basketball-U.S. rolls past Spain to sixth straight gold

By Steve Keating RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 20 (Reuters) - The United States women's basketball team thumped Spain 101-72 to claim a sixth straight gold medal on Sunday to rubberstamp their credentials as one of the greatest Olympic sporting dynasties of all time. After a sloppy start that saw Spain lead much of the opening quarter, the United States finally settled into their familiar rhythm, turning a 10-0 run into a 17 point halftime lead. From then on there was no way back for Spain as the U.S. extended their Olympic winning streak to a staggering 49-0. Only two other nations claim such a run of domination in an Olympic team sport. The United States' Olympic men's basketball teams earned seven consecutive gold medals from 1936-1968 while India claimed six-straight men's field hockey gold medals from 1928-1956. For Spain, the silver was their first in Olympic women's basketball. Earlier, Serbia beat France 70-63 in the bronze medal game. (Editing by Nina Chestney)