Top-ranked Long Beach State men’s volleyball pushed to limit by UC Irvine

LONG BEACH — The great news for UC Irvine on Friday night was that the men’s volleyball team pushed top-ranked Long Beach State to a fifth set for the first time all season.

The great news for the 49ers is that they composed themselves for that first fifth set at the Pyramid to take a thrilling 22-25, 25-15, 25-16, 21-25, 15-9 victory to stay unbeaten (20-0) and knock off the fourth-ranked Anteaters (17-6).

The better news for college volleyball fans is that the two Big West teams square off again Saturday night at the Bren Center (7 p.m.)

TJ DeFalco had 22 kills, five service aces, seven digs and two solo blocks, including a one-on-one block of Aaron Koubi and then a game-ending kill off a double block. Kyle Ensing had 13 kills and Josh Tuaniga and Jordan Milina 25 digs between them.

UC Irvine got 21 kills from Koubi and 10 from Karl Apfelbach in a determined effort throughout. The Anteaters only had three aces and 19 errors on serves.

The 49ers used a 7-2 run in the fifth set to give them breathing room at 12-6.

“What a great match,’’ 49ers coach Alan Knipe said afterward. “It was exciting to get pushed to five by a very good UC Irvine team, and then show the composure we need to win that kind of match. I wasn’t surprised at all.’’

“I thought we were composed and demonstrated that we can compete with a great team,’’ UCI coach David Kniffin said. “You never know how a game plays out, but I was happy with the way we played.’’

The 49ers dropped the first set, then won two straight, coming up with a majestic run after falling behind in the third set 11-8. UCI showed no give in a fourth set, using a 5-0 run to take a lead it never relinquished, sending the match to a fifth set.

The 49ers struggled with their usually efficient hitting in the first set, DeFalco having five kills but three errors as the 49ers hit .192 for the game.

Koubi had six kills, including one in a four-point run that gave the Anteaters an 18-12 lead. Apfelbach had an ace and Scott Stadick a kill on the run. The 49ers closed within two once before a Stadick kill gave UCI a 25-22 win.

The 49ers showed more speed in the second set. A see-saw match saw the 49ers up 16-13 and then rip off five straight points, on a Simon Anderson kill and block, Bjarne Huus ace and block and a soaring straight down kill by DeFalco to give the 49ers a 21-13 lead en route to a 25-15 win to level the match.

Long Beach has not lost the third set all season and didn’t Friday. UCI used kills by Apfelbach and Stadick to take an 11-8 lead, helped by three 49er service errors. Long Beach fired back with a 6-0 run. Josh Tuaniga had a push kill to start the run and then served the next five points, leading to two DeFalco kills, two Ensing high-flying kills and a double block by Ensing and Nick Amado.

The 49ers had a net serve to break that run, but then scored four straight, DeFalco serving an ace and UCI making three hitting errors to give the 49ers a 21-14 lead. They ended the game with four straight points, DeFalco dropping the game winner at 25-16.

The 49ers led 12-11 in the fourth set, but UCI spun together a 5-0 run on two hitting errors – a long serve by DeFalco and wide kill attempt by Ensing – and kills by Stadick, Apfelbach and Joel Schneidmiller for a 16-12 lead.

The 49ers closed to a point four times, but the Anteaters fought back each time and then put the game home on kills by Koubi and Apfelbach and a long serve by DeFalco, 25-21.

The National Classic baseball tournament, which began in 1990 as the first Orange County high school tournament of a national scope, starts Monday.

This year’s edition includes two teams in the California state top 20. Valley Christian of San Jose and Servite are Nos. 2 and 14, respectively, in the state rankings compiled by CalHiSports.com.

Also in the National Classic are El Dorado, Cypress and Mission Viejo, all of which are in the OC Varsity top 25.

IMG Academy of Bradenton, Fla., 15-1 through Thursday, is in the National Classic. Corona, No. 5 in CIF-Southern Section Division 1, also is in the tournament.

First-round games are at Amerige Park in Fullerton, El Dorado High, and Cal State Fullerton. The semifinals are Wednesday at Cal State Fullerton. The championship game is Thursday at Cal State Fullerton.

Information on the tournament, including the bracket, is here. 

OAKLAND — Martín Maldonado insisted he knew his big moment was coming before it did.

The Angels catcher picked Jonathan Lucroy off first base to end the seventh inning, at the time the biggest out of what would become a 2-1 Angels victory over the Oakland A’s on Friday night.

Although Maldonado wouldn’t give much detail on the setup for that particular play, he hinted he could see it coming.

“Guaranteed,” he said. “I knew he was out from the first pitch.”

Obviously, Maldonado saw that Lucroy was taking too big of a secondary lead, so after the third pitch of the at-bat, he gunned the ball down to first, with Albert Pujols slipping in behind to tag Lucroy.

Blake Wood, the pitcher who was bailed out of that first-and-second jam in a 1-0 game, was among many Angels visibly fired up by the play.

“He’s the best catcher in the game right now,” Wood said. “Making plays like that is what makes him so good. He has such a great feel for the game. He’s such an asset to have behind the plate.”

Martin sees you sleepin! Big out for @Angels https://t.co/TpeyaYWOqR pic.twitter.com/NyprGeUyVd

— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) March 31, 2018

Not only did the 2017 Gold Glove winner make a huge out with his arm, but he helped coax four Angels pitchers through the other 26 outs, including 6-1/3 scoreless innings from Tyler Skaggs.

Skaggs got an assist from right fielder Kole Calhoun, who laid out to snag a soft fly ball to start the sixth.

Did he just…I think he…WOW! @KoleCalhoun pic.twitter.com/W0ZBuyaVHc

— Angels (@Angels) March 31, 2018

“Unbelievable,” Skaggs said. “It was a game-changer for me personally.”

Had that ball off the bat of Marcus Semien dropped, it might have been a leadoff double or even a triple in a 1-0 game. As Calhoun closed on it, he said he wasn’t sure he had a chance to catch it “until it was in my glove.”

Skaggs then took care of the next two outs in the sixth and one in the seventh, walking off the mound after the type of performance the Angels have always hoped he could muster.

He gave up just three hits, one an infield hit. He struck out five and walked none.

“That’s as good as you can pitch,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “Tyler was on top of it all night, and he finished strong. He got to almost 100 pitches (98) and maintained his stuff. That’s big.”

Skaggs even threw a handful of changeups, showing off the pitch that he’s trying to add to his fastball and knee-buckling curve. He induced a few swings and misses and some soft contact with the changeup.

.@TylerSkaggs37 providing the breeze tonight! Five strike outs in his first outing. pic.twitter.com/l9HrP9wKwa

— Angels (@Angels) March 31, 2018

When Skaggs was done, he left Wood and Maldonado to escape the seventh. Keynan Middleton then worked around a leadoff double to pitch a scoreless eighth.

In the ninth, Blake Parker got the call, answering the question of who Scioscia prefers as his closer. Despite Parker’s brilliant season last year, it was an open question because he had struggled all spring.

He struggled again in this game, allowing a run on a walk and two hits, but he still finished it.

“Fastball command obviously wasn’t there early,” he said. “Once I kind of settled in I should have gone to more splits. … It’s something to build off. It’s a good win for the team. I just want to take that experience into the next one and the next one and the next one.”

The final out of the game was a grounder to Zack Cozart, who had moved to second because Ian Kinsler had just left the game with what Scioscia called “fatigue.” Kinsler had missed a few days with a tight groin, but Scioscia said this was “nothing he’s worried about.” He had said before the game that Kinsler would get Saturday off.

The pitching and defense got the Angels a victory on a night that the only offense they could muster came from Mike Trout. He provided half with a first-inning homer – on the heels of the first 0-for-6 game of his career on Thursday – and half by speeding around from first on an outfield misplay in the ninth.

And you guys were worried @MikeTrout pic.twitter.com/ya0CyeLVVg

— Angels (@Angels) March 31, 2018

It was enough. Barely.

“I feel like every time we play the A’s we always have nail-biter games,” Calhoun said. “Tonight wasn’t going to be any different. For us to get our first win, a lot of guys had to step up in big spots. Parker came in and got in a little trouble and shut the door. That was huge for us. First one out of the way.”

.@MikeTrout (1-for-4, HR) talks @TylerSkaggs37, first win of 2018 with @JoseMota05 | @Angels | @MLBonFOX | [#TheHaloWay] pic.twitter.com/bz54z6JKPM

— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) March 31, 2018

LOS ANGELES — Down 20 with two minutes to go on Friday, the Lakers had little left to play for. The roster was decimated by injuries and one unanticipated premature dismissal.

But before their spirited rally fell short – or rather long and wide – at the end of a 126-124 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Lakers showed just how unpredictable, how rousing and beautiful, the game they play can be at the least predictable times.

“What we took away from it,” Coach Luke Walton said, “is in the NBA you’re never out of it. … Possession by possession, you always have a chance in this league.”

The Lakers had a chance right up until Kyle Kuzma, who finished with a team-high 27-points, misfired on the potential game-winning 3-pointer with just under three seconds left in overtime. That miss essentially sealed the Lakers’ 42nd loss, ensuring a fifth consecutive losing season.

What built up to that final meaningful shot was a mash-up of hodgepodge lineups and defense that Walton said “was as bad as” the Lakers had played all year giving way to a lock-down effort from unfamiliar heroes.

Heroes, after all, come in all shapes and sizes, wearing unexpected jersey numbers.

So it was Ivica Zubac, Alex Caruso, Kuzma, Tyler Ennis and Channing Frye on the floor as the Lakers (33-42) used a 29-9 run to tie the score at 104 after trailing 95-75 with 2:08 left in the third quarter. A group that had certainly never shared the court together this season, and one that serves as a testament to just how much an NBA team can morph over the six grueling months of an NBA season.

“They were huge for us,” teammate Josh Hart said. “They were out there having fun, playing together, getting stops, getting out in transition and playing to our strengths.”

Or, as Walton put it: “That group had success because they were all playing for each other. … Because of that they were able to compete against one of the better teams in our league.”

Once the Lakers had evened the score, that group gave way to more traditional closers: Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram, who in just his second game back after missing 14 games with a groin strain started at point guard in place of Lonzo Ball, himself sidelined by a knee contusion.

Before leaving the game in overtime with yet another injury – this time a neck contusion and possible concussion – Ingram tallied 12 points and six assists to go with five turnovers. He also missed three free throws in the final three minutes of regulation, helping the Bucks force overtime.

Initial concussion tests on Ingram came back negative, but he will be reevaluated on Saturday.

Eric Bledsoe poured in a game-high 39 points for the Bucks (41-35), including the first nine points of overtime, giving the appearance once again that Milwaukee had slammed the door on the Lakers. However, the hosts answered with nine straight, including a pair of free throws by Randle with 49.8 seconds left, to pull within 121-120.

.@J30_RANDLE throws down the poster slam! pic.twitter.com/O0DZeQWVTq

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 31, 2018

After All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo missed a 3-point try over Kuzma, Hart grabbed his 13th rebound and the Lakers raced the other way.

Walton opted to hold on to his final timeout – a strategy he would employ on the Lakers’ final shot – and Randle barreled into the lane only to miss a shot over Tyler Zeller.

It was perhaps the Lakers’ best chance to steal the win. The possession that resulted in Kuzma’s missed 3-point attempt was more frantic and disorganized. The Lakers needed only a two to tie, a fact Walton reminded Kuzma of after his off-balance long ball missed so badly.

Perhaps no other night this season has Walton’s creativity been so greatly tested when it came to formulating lineups. The Lakers were already without Ball, as well as three of their back-of-the-bench players – Travis Wear, Thomas Bryant and Gary Payton II were already in Oklahoma City with the South Bay Lakers for the first game of the G-League playoffs.

On top of all that, Walton lost the remainder of his starting backcourt before halftime. A furious Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was ejected with 2:22 left in the second quarter after he had to be held back by Walton and teammates during a timeout.

Caldwell-Pope was upset over a non-call on a breakaway layup. His premature departure left the Lakers even more short-handed, and forced Hart, in his first game back after breaking his hand late last month in Miami, into extra duty.

“That wasn’t how we planned it,” Hart said.

Hart finished with 13 points and 13 boards in 35 minutes after missing the previous 14 games.

Lakers catch fire in the second half, but drop this one to the Bucks in overtime, 122-124. pic.twitter.com/EwpOw13GxN

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 31, 2018

Luke Walton talks about the play of the second unit, getting the team back in the game. pic.twitter.com/wlP8CbLUgD

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 31, 2018

Kyle Kuzma credits the second unit for the 20-point comeback, and talks about learning from games like this pic.twitter.com/WdQRzR724d

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 31, 2018

.@joshhart talks about how he felt in his first game back and the injury struggles the #Lakers have dealt with throughout the season. pic.twitter.com/RGnwwXzfXJ

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 31, 2018

Ivica Zubac talks about coming back to take the lead after trailing by as many as 20 in the second half, and playing in crunch time pic.twitter.com/sCDF9NR5ws

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 31, 2018

Mourners placed bouquets of flowers, photographs, notes and candles along Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach on Friday in sad remembrance of three Las Vegas high school students who died in a fiery crash caused the day before by a suspected drunken driver.

Dylan Mack, Brooke Hawley and Albert Rossi attended Centennial High School in Las Vegas, and were in Southern California on their spring break, according to media reports. They died after the car they were in burst into flames following the crash  early Thursday morning.

Another student, also from Las Vegas, was injured and remained hospitalized.

The three students, who were identified in a published report by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, were enjoying spring break before Mack and Rossi graduated, according to family members.

It was shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday when 27-year-old Bani Duarte slammed her car into the trio’s sedan while they were stopped at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Magnolia Street.

Duarte, of San Clemente, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter. She was uninjured.

Jail records show she’s being held in lieu of $100,000 and is set to appear in court on Monday, April 2. She had been arrested previously on suspicion of driving under the influence in 2016, according to Huntington Beach police, but details of that arrest were not immediately available.

On Friday morning, March 30, there was a growing memorial of flowers on the sidewalk, part of it still charred black from the burning car. A photo collage of Mack was placed on the ground next to a fence, his birth date on it showed he was 18 years old.

Friends and family of the trio mourned the deaths all over social media, many expressing anger at suspected cause of the crash being driving under the influence.

A Twitter page for the high school’s 2018 class shared the news.

Centennial lost 3 wonderful kids last night, our hearts are out to everyone affected by this we are so sorry for what everyone is going through please be safe for the rest of spring break and hold your loved ones close

— Centennial c/o 2018 (@chsbulldogs18) March 29, 2018

A GoFundMe page was set up for Albert “AJ” Rossi’s family to help defray funeral and other expenses.

“AJ was always the center of attention and his smile lit up every single room that he walked into,” his family wrote on the fundraising page. “After high school, AJ had plans to attend college at College of Southern Nevada this fall. AJ had a whole life ahead of him that a drunk driver abruptly ended.”

The fractional giant is making it easier for the charity to arrange free flights for cancer patients aboard its business jets.

This collaborative presentation from RM Sotheby’s and Porsche Cars North America will feature 70 of the German marque’s finest.

The Swiss watchmaker pays tribute to the 50th anniversary of Apollo 8 with a decorative new Dark Side of the Moon watch.

Getting eyes on this prize may be a challenge, however, as just 75 examples of the $1.4 million offering will exist.

Under Armour, joining a growing list of corporate victims of hacker attacks, said about 150 million user accounts tied to its MyFitnessPal nutrition-tracking app were breached earlier this year.

An unauthorized party stole data from the accounts in late February, Under Armour said on Thursday. It became aware of the breach earlier this week and took steps to alert users about the incident, the company said.

Shares of Under Armour fell as much as 4.6 percent to $15.59 in late trading following the announcement. The stock had been up 13 percent this year through Thursday’s close.

The data didn’t include payment-card information or government-issued identifiers, including Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers. Still, user names, email addresses and password data were taken. And the sheer scope of the attack — affecting a user base that’s bigger than the population of Japan — would make it one of the larger breaches on record.

“Email addresses are valuable for spammers because the attackers would know that active, real users are behind these addresses,” said Engin Kirda, a professor at Northeastern University in Boston. “The dark web is usually where data like this is sold to the highest bidder.”

The MyFitnessPal mobile app lets people track their calorie intake, diet and exercise routines. Under Armour agreed to buy the software in 2015, part of a bid to become the world’s biggest tracker of fitness information. The idea was to expand upon the company’s roots in athletic apparel and accessories.

Now the Baltimore-based company is grappling with the downside of owning a data-centric business. Under Armour has enlisted security firms to help with its investigation and is working with law enforcement to resolve the matter.

The company has been sending emails and in-app messages to users to alert them to the attack. It’s urging customers to change their passwords immediately.

Under Armour’s announcement comes a day after Boeing Co. said it was hit by a cyberattack. In that case, malicious software affected “a small number of systems,” the airplane manufacturer said on Wednesday.