Halep advances in 21⁄2-hour match

Push Simona Halep to the brink, and she summons her best.

The Australian Open’s top-seeded woman got all she could handle from 20-year-old American Sofia Kenin in the second round before taking the last four games to emerge with a 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4 victory that took 2½ hours Jan. 17.

“Well, I have no idea how I won this tonight,” said Halep, the reigning French Open champion. “It’s so tough to explain what happened on court.”

Halep’s third-round matchup will be quite intriguing, because it’ll be against seven-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1 Venus Williams. And the winner of that could face Williams’ younger sister, 23-time major champ Serena, in the fourth round.

Venus won a threesetter that finished a little before Halep’s did — and in much more emphatic fashion. Pushed to that deciding set by getting broken to end the second, Venus ran away with the win down the stretch, defeating Alize Cornet 6-3, 4-6, 6-0.

NBA

SILVER BACKS KANTER » NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday that the safety and security of players will always be paramount for the league after Knicks center Enes Kanter did not travel to London for his team’s game against the Wizards.

Kanter said he feared he could be attacked or killed over his opposition to Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan if he were to travel to London.

Istanbul-based newspaper Daily Sabah reported that an arrest warrant was issued for Kanter by Turkish prosecutors on Jan. 16.

Silver said NBA officials never suggested that Kanter skip the game but understand why he chose not to travel.

College basketball

CSU LOSES » Tyler Sharpe sank five 3-pointers and scored 23 points and Drew McDonald notched his 10th double-double of the season as Northern Kentucky cruised to a 9176 victory over Cleveland State.