Kaori Sakamoto from Japan reacts at the end of her routine during the women free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Friday. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Sakamoto wins

4th title

PRAGUE (AP) — Kaori Sakamoto bid farewell to figure skating with a fourth world championship title before retirement as one of the most decorated skaters in decades.

Sakamoto took to the ice to cheers from a packed arena in Prague and delivered a typically artistic and consistent final free skate to stay ahead of her Japanese teammate Mone Chiba.

After signing off to Edith Piaf’s “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien,” Sakamoto made a double fist pump as her coaches hugged rink-side and Chiba stood to applaud.

Minutes later, Sakamoto jumped up and danced in celebration at leaving on a personal-best total 238.28 points and embraced Chiba, who scored 228.47. “I’m so happy,” Sakamoto said to whoops from the crowd. “I’m grateful that I get to skate here.”

UConn reaches

Elite Eight

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Sarah Strong had 21 points and 10 rebounds as defending national champion and overall No. 1 seed UConn overwhelmed North Carolina 63-42 in the women’s NCAA Tournament. The unbeaten Huskies are going to the Elite Eight for the 30th time.

Blanca Quiñonez added 16 points while Azzi Fudd, an AP All-American like Strong, had 10 points. UConn is seeking its 13th national championship and has a 53-game winning streak. Indya Nivar had 20 points for North Carolina. UConn will play sixth-seeded Notre Dame in the Fort Worth Region 1 final Sunday to fill the first slot for the Final Four in Phoenix.

Hidalgo breaks

steals record

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Hannah Hidalgo already had her unusual triple-double and the NCAA single-season record for steals when she made the play that ultimately sent Notre Dame to the Elite Eight of March Madness.

Mikayla Blakes ended up with two chances to answer for Vanderbilt in a matchup of two of the nation’s top three scorers in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The Fighting Irish’s sparkplug was the one leaping with joy at the buzzer.

Hidalgo had 31 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals and the assist on the go-ahead bucket in the final minute, leading Notre Dame to a 67-64 victory over the higher-seeded Commodores on Friday.

Iranian team

honors victims

ANTALYA, Turkey (AP) — Players held small backpacks as Iran’s national soccer team used a match against Nigeria to honor the victims of a deadly missile strike on an elementary school. More than 165 people were killed, most of them children, when a February 28 strike, likely launched by the U.S., hit the school in southern Iran.

Neither the United States nor Israel has accepted responsibility. The U.S. military is investigating and has said it would never target civilians.

During the national anthem Friday, the Iranian team honored the memory of the slain children by placing small pink and purple school backpacks in front of them. The match was played in Antalya, southern Turkey.

Judge hits

2-run homer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer in the sixth to end an 0-for-7 start to his season after the two-time reigning AL MVP had a strike call overturned by the automated system earlier in that same at-bat when he challenged, and the New York Yankees beat the San Francisco Giants 3-0.

After going hitless on opening day for the first time in the Yankees’ shutout win two days earlier, Judge connected on a 405-foot drive to left with an exit velocity of 109.1 mph that broke up a scoreless game and marked his fourth career home run off Ray.