Tennis mourns deaths of Novotna, Segura COLLEGE BASKETBALL/ TOP 25 ROUNDUP

Prague — Jana Novotna, who won the hearts of the tennis world when she sobbed on the shoulder of a member of the British royal family after a heartbreaking loss in the Wimbledon final, has died at the age of 49.

The WTA announced Novotna's death on Monday, saying she died Sunday in her native Czech Republic following a long battle with cancer.

Novotna died “peacefully, surrounded by her family,” the women's tennis body said.

Her family confirmed her death to the Czech Republic's CTK news agency. No details were given.

Martina Navratilova, the tennis great who was also born in what was then Czechoslovakia, tweeted: “The tennis world is so sad about the passing of Jana Novotna. I am gutted and beyond words. Jana was a true friend and an amazing woman.”

Novotna won her only Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon in 1998, eventually triumphing after two losses in the final at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in 1993 and 1997. She also lost in the 1991 Australian Open final.

While she finally captured the Grand Slam singles title she longed for in 1998, she won over the Wimbledon crowd five years earlier after wasting a big lead in the decisive set in a tough three-set loss to Steffi Graf.

Unable to hide her disappointment, Novotna cried on the shoulder of Britain's Duchess of Kent at the prize giving ceremony and was gently comforted by the royal, who told her: “I know you will win it one day, don't worry.”

Novotna ultimately had her moment five years later when she beat Nathalie Tauziat in straight sets to win Wimbledon. At the time, she was the oldest first-time winner of a Grand Slam singles title at age 29.

There wear tears again from Novotna, this time of joy, and the Duchess of Kent was present again to congratulate her.

• Pancho Segura, who rose from poverty to win six U. S. Pro singles and doubles championships and was one of the world's top amateur tennis players in the 1940s and professionals in the 1950s, has died. He was 96.

Segura died Saturday from complications of Parkinson's disease at his home at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California, his son, Spencer Segura, said Sunday. Marvin Bagley III scored 24 points and No. 1 Duke beat Furman 92-63 on Monday night in the on-campus round of the PK80. Trevon Duval had a season-best 18 points, Wendell Carter Jr. added 14 and a fourth freshman — Alex O’Connell — scored 10 for the Blue Devils (5-0). They shot nearly 61 percent and outscored Furman 64-28 in the paint, and have won all four of their games at Cameron Indoor Stadium by at least 17 points. Tougher tests await this team in the coming days in Portland, Oregon — possibly from No. 7 Florida or No. 17 Gonzaga in a later round of the event marking Nike founder Phil Knight’s 80th birthday. This rout came after Duke strengthened its grip on the top spot in the AP Top 25, adding 20 more first-place votes to give the Blue Devils 54 of them — or, all but 11 of the 65 ballots cast. John Davis III scored 15 points and Matt Rafferty added 11 for the Paladins (2-2), who have lost two straight.

Shaquille Morris scored 25 points, Landry Shamet added 23 and Wichita State got the Maui Invitational off to a wild start by rallying from an 18-point deficit to beat California. Cal (2-2) used its pressure to harass the Shockers into mistakes and missed shots, building the lead to nine by halftime and 18 within 4.5 minutes of the second half. The Shockers (3-0) turned the game around by turning on their own pressure cooker, revving up the crowd by speeding up the young Bears with their full-court press. Cal handled it poorly, leading to a string of turnovers transition baskets that allowed Wichita State to pull even with 5 minutes left. Wichita State snatched the lead with a late 8-0 run, earning a spot in Tuesday’s semifinals against Marquette.

Kevin Knox scored 17 points and Kentucky built a big lead in the second half before having to withstand a late rally by Troy. After having to rally in each of its previous games, the Wildcats (4-1) led throughout against the Trojans (2-3). They built a double-digit lead early and extended it to 21 twice in the second half, a needed cushion as Troy fought back to within eight on Wesley Person’s three-point play with 1:08 remaining. Knox came up with the last of Kentucky’s season-high 53 rebounds that preserved its second victory in the Adolph Rupp Classic named for the legendary coach. Person had 17 points for Troy.

Robert Williams 11 points, 11 rebounds and a handful of alley-oop dunks to help Texas A&M beat Oklahoma State in the first game of the 2017 Progressive Legends Classic. Williams added three steals and two blocks for the Aggies (3-0). DJ Hogg led all scorers with 18 points. Tonny Trocha-Morelos finished with 12 points and Admon Gilder had 10. The loss was the first of the season for Oklahoma State (3-1). Brandon Averette led the Cowboys with 10. The Aggies took a 39-22 lead into halftime, thanks to Williams and a 25-7 run over the final eight minutes of the half. Williams checked in five minutes into the game and scored nine points in the first half, eight on alley-oops. Marcus Foster scored 23 points, Mitch Ballock added 22 in front of his boyhood fans and Creighton beat UCLA in the semifinals of the Hall of Fame Classic. Khyri Thomas added 16 points and TyShon Alexander had 12 for the Bluejays (4-0), who have won 12 straight in-season tournament games after titles at the MGM Grand Main Event and the Paradise Jam. Creighton raced to an early lead, weathered the Bruins’ best effort midway through the second half, and then proved it could put things away with poise and precision down the stretch. Aaron Holiday had 25 points to lead the Bruins (3-1), who dealt with foul trouble much of the night. Lamont West was a point shy of a career high with 22 and West Virginia overcame a slow start to beat Long Beach State. For the second time in a week, the Mountaineers (3-1) started out sluggish, trailing LBSU 9-6 at the first media timeout. WVU responded with an 18-5 run over the next 6:32 to regain the lead and create some cushion. The 49ers (2-2) took advantage of a Mountaineer scoring drought in the second half but couldn’t come within 15 points of the lead. Sagaba Konate had a career-high 20 points and Chase Harler added 14 points, also a career high. Wesley Harris led the Mountaineers with nine rebounds. Gabe Levin matched a career high with 23 points for the 49ers and added 11 rebounds. Bryan Alberts added a career-high 20 points.