d. ... Marquette is having a hard time filling the void in the

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Five spots. Five plane tickets to Rio. Thats whats up for the taking at the U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials in San Jose this weekend. From afar, thats the story, the tension.But up close, the reality is far less dramatic.Entering this weekends competition, which began Friday night at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, and continues Sunday evening, four of those five spots were considered to be all but locked up by three-time world champion Simone Biles, 2012 Olympic floor champ Aly Raisman, reigning Olympic all-around champion Gabby Douglas and 16-year-old newcomer Laurie Hernandez.That leaves one spot for an athlete who can contribute a high-scoring bar routine -- the weakest event for the collective four women named above -- during the team competition in Rio. And because the team selection is based on the discretion of national team coordinator Martha Karolyi and a selection committee, a gymnast doesnt need to place in the top five at trials in order to make the team. Instead, the final decision is based on more intangible criteria that includes past results, consistency in practice, and how the athlete fits into the team dynamic.That fifth and final spot will likely go to one of two women: Madison Kocian of Plano, Texas, the 2015 co-world champion on bars, and Ashton Locklear, the bars champion at the 2016 Pacific Rim Championships and 2016 U.S. national champion in that event.At the start of Fridays competition, the potential for either gymnast to make the team seemed almost identical. Both women own recent titles on the apparatus at international competitions and consistently put up the highest scores on bars of any current American gymnasts. Either would give a strong U.S. team an even greater advantage to win gold in Rio.In San Jose, Locklear was the first of the two women to compete on bars, in the second rotation, and she made a strong statement to the selection committee that her name should be called Sunday night. Her score of 15.750, the best of the night until that point, was higher than her winning score at nationals in June, higher than her score at Pac Rims, and higher than Kocians winning score at the World Championships.Im really confident, Locklear said. Ive done so well at past competitions and won so many times, and I feel like Im building a good record for myself.If shes named to the team, Locklear would be the first Native American gymnast to compete for the U.S. at the Olympics. A member of the Lumbee Tribe, the largest in North Carolina, Locklear wears a Lumbee pin on the strap of her competition bag and carries a dream catcher with her that was given to her by a member of the tribe.Its a great feeling knowing theyre cheering for me back home, Locklear said. Its very unique and it means the world to me that I have their support.Locklears score set the bar in San Jose. But Kocian says she didnt notice.I didnt see [Locklears] score before I competed, Kocian said. I try to focus on myself. Thats all you can control. What she does doesnt affect what I can do. If I let my mind wander to anyone else, you dont have 100 percent focus on yourself, and thats when you start making mistakes.In the next rotation, as Locklear prepared to mount the balance beam, the only other event in which she competes, Kocian completed her bar routine and was also awarded 15.750. It was a tie. At least in the literal sense.The scores dont really matter to the selection committee right now, Kocian said. Its what you have been doing in practice throughout the week and your consistency. After tonight, my confidence has increased.Soon after the crowd celebrated Kocians score, Locklear fell from the beam.I dont think I fell once this week in training, so its frustrating coming into a competition like this and falling, Locklear said. I have to turn the page. Beam is not my specialty, and that is not what they are looking at me for. I showed them that I have a good bars routine, and Ive had good bars in the past. They know I have a good record.But so too, does Kocian, who backed up her impressive bar routine with solid performances in each of the other three rotations and finished sixth in the all-around. Kocian also competes a bar routine with a higher difficulty score than Locklears, which leaves more room for mistakes -- and for improvement.They tied on bars, but [Kocian] had some other routines that could be useful in a team situation, Karolyi said. Right now, she is placing well in my eyes.Still, Locklear believes if the selection committee focuses not on her fall on beam -- where she is unlikely to be asked to contribute in Rio -- but only on her strength and consistency on bars, she has a legitimate shot at the final spot.Its the little things, she says. There were a couple handstands I missed, and my dismount might have been a little low. I could have done better.As the Lumbee Tribe watches from North Carolina, shell have one final opportunity to do so on Sunday.Cheap Air Max UK Outlet . In what the team had called a retirement, Ryan said Thursday that he is resigning as chief executive of the Rangers in a move effective at the end of this month. Wholesale Air Max 95 UK Shoes . 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"Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost.NEW YORK -- Michael Young sounded like a grizzled veteran and he made sure his teammates listened.At halftime it was just a look yourself in the mirror type of moment, he said of Pittsburghs 11-point halftime deficit that would reach 15 points. We lost the first game due to (SMU) being tougher than us down the stretch. We came in the second half and it was now or never.Now won out.Young scored a career-high 30 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Pittsburgh to a 78-75 victory over Marquette on Friday in the third-place game of the 2K Classic Benefiting Wounded Warrior Project.Young, a senior forward whose previous career-high was 27 points as a sophomore against Chaminade, brought the Panthers (3-1) back from that 15-point deficit and he did it almost by himself.With Marquette (2-2) leading 59-49 with 13:51 to play, the 6-foot-9 Young scored the games next 10 points, almost all on inside baskets.Back up against the wall, you just got to fight, Young said. Me being a senior, Jamel being a senior, just going into the game I told him its now or never. After the second half we cant get this game back. We cant get no more games back. Every game our senior year matters. Just to give it my all and just really be aggressive and kind of lead my team.First-year Pitt coach Kevin Stallings said of Young: He can carry us and he does.From the 59-all tie with 10:36 to play there would be four lead changes and three ties. Pitt took the lead for good on a free throw by Jamel Artis with 1:03 left and he added two more free throws with 5.6 seconds left for the final margin.It was awesome, Artis said of Youngs run. Me and him, we got to be the load every night, bring the energy offensively and defensively. To watch him go out there make his 10-0 run was awesome for us because we needed it at the time.Andrew Rowseys 3-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the rim.Artis finished with 21 points and seven rebounds for the Panthers while Chris Jones added 13 points.Rowsey, who came into the game with a total of two points on the season, had 20 for the Golden Eagles, while Duane Wilson and Sam Hauser had 11 each..dddddddddddd.The Golden Eagles closed the first half on a 14-6 run to take a 44-33 lead and then scored the first four points of the second half for the games biggest lead.. .You cant have 50-point halves scored against you and win in college basketball, Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski said. You never have been able to and you never will be able to. We had two halves of basketball, one in each game where we gave up essentially 50 points. Give credit to the team we played but our defense has to improve.BIG PICTUREPittsburgh: The Panthers bounced back from a 76-67 loss to SMU in the opening round. ... Stallings has seemed to fit in well with a veteran team recruited by Jamie Dixon. ...The Panthers averaged 86.3 points over their first three games and with Young averaging 22 and Artis 19, the two accounted for 48 percent of the teams points.Marquette: The Golden Eagles were blown out 79-61 by Michigan in the opening round. ... Marquette is having a hard time filling the void in the middle after freshman Henry Ellenson left after his freshman year for the NBA.OLD FOESPittsburgh and Marquette were members of the Big East together for eight seasons until the Panthers left for the Atlantic Coast Conference. The all-time series is tied 9-9 as Marquette had a three-game winning streak against the Panthers snapped.ROUSING ROWSEYRowsey came into the game having made 1 of 7 from the field, including missing five 3-point attempts in the first three games. He was 5 for 12 from the field Friday and e was 3 of 7 from behind the arc.Rowsey was kind of the guy who was creating a lot of offense so we wanted the ball in his hands at the end of the game, Wojciechowski said. We got the ball to the rim. We got a wide open shot. We just didnt make it.UP NEXT:Pittsburgh: The Panthers head home for games with Yale and Morehead State before facing Maryland in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.Marquette: The Warriors are home for three games against IUPUI, Houston Baptist and Western Carolina. ' ' '