Sports News Roundup: Venus pulls out of Brisbane International and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Top 25 basketball roundup: No. 10 Villanova tops Xavier in Big East opener

Collin Gillespie scored 24 points and No. 10 Villanova held off Xavier to win 68-62 Monday at Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, Pa., in the Big East opener for both teams. Jermaine Samuels added 14 points and eight rebounds while Justin Moore had 13 points for the Wildcats, who won their sixth in a row and improved to 10-2 overall. Naji Marshall led Xavier with 19 points while Tyrique Jones added 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Paul Scruggs had 12 points and six assists.

NFL notebook: Browns fire GM Dorsey

The Cleveland Browns parted ways with general manager John Dorsey on Tuesday after failing to come to an agreement on a restructuring of the front office. The decision to move on from Dorsey, 59, after two years comes two days after the Browns fired first-year head coach Freddie Kitchens.

Wild-card Saints ready to defy odds in playoffs

New Orleans cornerback Justin Hardee has a message for those who might think the Saints are doomed after failing to win a first round bye in the NFL playoffs. "We just gonna get it the harder way," Hardee wrote on Twitter. "Our story gone be that much better."

Celtics bounce back, hand Hornets sixth straight loss

Jayson Tatum scored 24 points, Kemba Walker added 22 points and seven assists, and the visiting Boston Celtics handed the Charlotte Hornets their sixth consecutive loss, 109-92 on Tuesday at Spectrum Center. Coming in off a lopsided loss to reigning NBA champion Toronto, Boston ratcheted up its defensive intensity early. The Celtics limited the Hornets to just 18 first-quarter points and 43 for the first half.

Pacers hand Embiid-less 76ers third straight loss

Domantas Sabonis had 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists to carry the host Indiana Pacers past the Philadelphia 76ers 115-97 on Tuesday in Indianapolis. T.J. Warren added 21 points, Myles Turner contributed 14 and Jeremy Lamb had 13 for the Pacers, who improved to 15-3 at home and snapped a two-game losing streak.

Take 5: Most appealing head-coach openings

The head-coaching carousel is in full swing again, with the potential for a quarter of the league to be searching for new leaders. Even more so than usual, ownership could be the top factor in determining which openings should be most enticing to prospective candidates.

Washington hires head coach Rivera to lead franchise out of slump: report

The Washington Redskins hired Ron Rivera as their new head coach, the NFL Network reported on Tuesday, replacing interim leader Bill Callahan, who took over after Jay Gruden was cut loose in October. Rivera previously presided over the NFL's Carolina Panthers, leading the team to a franchise-best 15-win and one-loss record in the 2015 season before losing in the Super Bowl to the Denver Broncos.

Venus pulls out of Brisbane International, cites 'setback' in training

Venus Williams has pulled out of the upcoming Brisbane International after suffering a 'setback' in training, the former world number one said on Wednesday. Williams, 39, was set to join world number one Ash Barty, Karolina Pliskova and Naomi Osaka in a strong field at the Queensland Tennis Centre from Jan. 6-12 and the organizers said they would announce a wildcard to take her place in the draw.

Olympics: North Korea pulls out of women's 2020 soccer qualifiers in South

North Korea has withdrawn its women's soccer team from the final round of 2020 Tokyo Olympics qualifiers being staged in South Korea in February, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has said. The AFC said on Tuesday the North had sent a letter informing it of its withdrawal from the tournament and that global governing body FIFA was also aware of the decision.

Clippers win tenth straight against Kings, 105-87

Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Kings for the 10th straight time, 105-87 on Tuesday afternoon in Sacramento, Calif. Leonard missed his first four shots before finishing 8 of 21 from the floor with seven assists. Paul George also overcame a slow start to finish with 21 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for the Clippers, who have won 14 straight in Sacramento.