IN BRIEF

BASKETBALL

Pitino never told woman to get abortion, longtime aide testifies

Rick Pitino never said a woman who claimed the Louisville basketball coach got her pregnant after a one-night stand had to get an abortion but did advise she "go out of town" to get medical care, his longtime aide told a jury Friday in Louisville, Ky.

The aide, Tim Sypher, was testifying against the woman, his former wife, Karen Cunagin Sypher. He testified at her extortion trial about helping her get an abortion. The two divorced after she was indicted last year on charges of demanding cash and gifts worth millions from Pitino to keep secret their 2003 tryst on a restaurant table.

Tim Sypher, 49, testified that he called clinics in Indiana and Ohio before taking the woman, then known as Karen Wise, to Cincinnati, where she terminated the pregnancy on Aug. 29, 2003. Tim Sypher said he paid for the procedure from $3,000 Pitino gave to Karen Sypher for medical care.

"I just figured it was a good thing to do, go out of town," Tim Sypher said. "Yeah, he (Pitino) said go out of town."

Karen Sypher, 50, has pleaded not guilty.

Also: Lorenzen Wright's former wife was threatened at her Memphis, Tenn., home by three men who were carrying guns and looking for the former NBA player about six weeks before he was shot to death, the woman's attorney said.

Sherra Wright warned her former husband, the father of her children, about the visit by men dressed in sport coats with weapons tucked in their waistbands, lawyer Gail Mathes said. But she was frightened by their threats and didn't tell authorities about it until Monday, when she alerted police in the Memphis suburb of Collierville, near her home.

The body of the 34-year-old athlete was found in woods in Memphis on Wednesday, six days after his family reported him missing. He was last seen around midnight July 18, when he stayed over at his former wife's house.

The Washington Wizards signed No. 17 overall pick Kevin Seraphin, acquired in a draft-day trade with the Chicago Bulls. Seraphin, a 6-foot-9-inch forward from French Guyana, got a four-year contract that guarantees him about $2.7 million the first two years, with the Wizards having options for the third and fourth years.

The Wizards also signed forward Josh Howard to a one-year contract that could be worth $4 million.

West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins' rib-breaking fall last week occurred because medication taken on an empty stomach left him lightheaded, the university said. Huggins, who was in Las Vegas on a recruiting trip, broke seven ribs when he fell in his hotel room and was hospitalized for several days.

MISCELLANEOUS

Overton fires 62, leads by four strokes in Greenbrier Classic

Jeff Overton shot an 8-under-par 62 to take a four-stroke lead after the second round of the inaugural Greenbrier Classic in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.

Overton, winless in five years on the PGA Tour, shot the low round of the tournament during a bogey-free round. He was at 14-under 126.

Boo Weekley was 10 under after a 63. Jimmy Walker (64) and double heart transplant recipient Erik Compton (68) were at 9 under.

Also: Bernhard Langer shot a 2-under 68 to take a two-stroke lead over Tommy Armour III, John Cook and J.R. Roth after two rounds of the U.S. Senior Open at Sammamish, Wash.

Langer, who won the British Senior Open on Sunday, is at 3-under 137. Armour, a former Bishop Gorman High School star, followed a round of 71 with a 68. Two other Las Vegans -- Stacey Hart (157) and Kim Dolan (160) -- missed the cut.

Taiwan's Yani Tseng shot her second consecutive 4-under 68 to take a four-shot lead after the second round of the Women's British Open in Southport, England.

Tseng, seeking her third major title, had five birdies and one bogey. Cristie Kerr (67), Brittany Lincicome (71) and Amy Yang (71) were tied for second.

England's Ross Fisher shot a 10-under 61 to take a three-stroke lead after the second round of the Irish Open in Killarney, Ireland. He is at 12-under 130.

Defending champion Sam Querrey defeated Rainer Schuettler 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7) in the quarterfinals of the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles. Querrey will play sixth-seeded Janko Tipsarevic in today's semifinals. Top-seeded Andy Murray and No. 4 Feliciano Lopez will meet in the other semifinal.

Belarus' Victoria Azarenka beat defending champion Marion Bartoli 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the Bank of the West Classic quarterfinals in Stanford, Calif., ending the Frenchwoman's run of eight straight victories in the event.

Wladimir Klitschko (54-3) will defend his IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles against Samuel Peter (34-3) in Frankfurt, Germany, on Sept. 11. Klitschko was to fight Alexander Povetkin, but he didn't show for a news conference this month to promote the fight.

Rachel Alexandra, the reigning Horse of the Year, will make her next start in the Personal Ensign Stakes on Aug. 29 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.