Sports News Roundup: Cain finds balance in sport; Australian Open and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Top 25 roundup: Historic win for Huggins as No. 14 WVU routs Missouri

No. 14 West Virginia rattled off 21 straight points early in the second half to break open a tight game and coast to a 74-51 win Saturday over Missouri in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge in Morgantown, W.Va. Bob Huggins' 876th career win lifted the Mountaineers coach into a tie for seventh place on the NCAA list with Kentucky icon Adolph Rupp.

Defending champion Djokovic into quarter-finals at a canter

Novak Djokovic continued his imperious progress through the Australian Open draw on Sunday, negotiating a potentially tricky encounter with Diego Schwartzman 6-3 6-4 6-4 to reach the last eight at Melbourne Park for the 11th time. The seven-times champion only added to a strong feeling around the tournament that the Serbian is again the man to beat at the year's first Grand Slam as he ousted the Argentine in just over two hours on Rod Laver Arena.

Most Pro Bowl players against 17-game season

Several Pro Bowl players polled this week said they are still firmly against the NFL adding a 17th regular-season game to its annual schedule if proposed, according to an ESPN report published Saturday. While in Florida for practices and promotional events before the Pro Bowl is played on Sunday, very few players supported the idea of the league potentially adding another game to the schedule. Players' safety and overall health were the primary concerns.

NBA roundup: LeBron passes Kobe, Lakers fall to 76ers

Ben Simmons had 28 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and four steals to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers past the Los Angeles Lakers 108-91 on Saturday, in a game that saw LeBron James pass Kobe Bryant for third on the NBA's all-time scoring list. Simmons shot 12 of 15 in playing 41 minutes. Tobias Harris scored 29 points and Al Horford had 16 for the Sixers, who improved to 21-2 at home. Matisse Thybulle also contributed five steals.

NBA notebook: Thunder C Noel out after cheek surgery

Oklahoma City Thunder center Nerlens Noel missed Saturday's road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves after undergoing surgery to repair a fracture in his left cheek, the team announced. His status will be updated next week.

James passes Bryant for third on career scoring list

LeBron James passed Kobe Bryant to become the third-highest career points scorer in the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Saturday, albeit in a losing cause as the Los Angeles Lakers were beaten by the Philadelphia 76ers. James started the game needing 18 points to overtake Bryant, and he achieved the mark with a lay-up in the third quarter.

Kenin brings Gauff's Melbourne run to an end

American Sofia Kenin ended teen sensation Coco Gauff's run at the Australian Open on Sunday with a 6-7(5) 6-3 6-0 victory to reach her first career Grand Slam quarter-final. The 15-year-old Gauff, who had beaten defending champion Naomi Osaka in her previous match and seven-times Grand Slam winner Venus Williams in her opener, rallied from a break down to win the opening set in a tiebreaker.

It's very easy to feel alone": Cain finds balance in sport

Finishing 13th in the women's 3,000-metre race at the Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge on Saturday, American mid-distance runner Mary Cain said completing the competition was, for her, a win in and of itself. Once hailed as an athletics prodigy, 23-year-old Cain dropped a bombshell in an interview with the New York Times in November, in which she accused former coach Alberto Salazar and his staff at the now-shuttered Nike Oregon project of emotional and physical abuse.

Nadal meets the 'new Nick' Kyrgios in fourth-round blockbuster

World number one Rafa Nadal renews his rivalry with Nick Kyrgios in a blockbuster fourth-round clash at the Australian Open on Monday, as the Spaniard prepares for the trickiest test of his Melbourne campaign. Nadal has not dropped a set so far as he bids for just his second title at Melbourne Park and was at his ruthless best to dismiss compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta and reach the last 16.

MLB notebook: Dodgers don't want 'fake banner'

The Los Angeles Dodgers might consider the Houston Astros frauds and cheaters, but they want nothing to do with hanging a "fake banner" to represent a championship they did not win on the field. After silence the past few weeks, Dodgers players and front-office staff sounded off on the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal from the 2017 season at the club's annual fan convention on Saturday.