No. 1 UCLA edges Anteaters

Top-ranked UCLA rallied from a 4-3 halftime deficit to defeat

fifth-ranked UC Irvine, 7-6, in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation

men’s water polo game at the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center Sunday.

Seniors Dan Noon and Rick Merlo scored two goals each to give UCI

its halftime advantage.

Bruin senior Brett Ormsby scored his second of three goals with

3:01 left in the third quarter to tie the game, 5-5, and the Bruins

scored the next two, before UCI junior Chris Peters scored with three

seconds left for the final margin. UCI is 14-11, 4-4.

It was the 16th straight win for UCLA, which claims the MPSF

regular-season title.

Newport Harbor High product Peter Belden was one of six Bruins

honored in senior day ceremonies before the game.

Former Corona del Mar High standout Michael March, a junior,

scored one goal for the Bruins.

*--*

Mountain Pacific Sports Federation

UCLA 7, UC Irvine 6

Score by Quarters

UC Irvine 3 1 1 1 -- 6

UCLA 2 1 3 1 -- 7

UC Irvine -- Noon 2, R. Merlo 2, Hutten 1, Peters

1. Saves -- Wynne 6.

UCLA -- Ormsby 3, Powell 1, March 1, Garcia 1,

Hewko 1. Saves -- Axelrad 10.

*--*

Pirates place fourth

* BASKETBALL: The Orange Coast College women’s basketball team

fell, 77-69, to Compton Sunday in the third-place game of the Mt. San

Antonio tournament in Walnut.

OCC sophomore Rhondi Naff, a Costa Mesa High product, led the

Pirates (1-2) with 24 points en route to all-tournament laurels.

Naff’s three-pointer was the difference in a 60-59 first-round win

over Solano Friday night, in a game she tallied 24 points.

Naff was one of four Pirates to score in double figures in a 76-61

semifinal loss to Mt. SAC Saturday night. Naff, freshman Christen

D’Alessandro and freshman Crystal McCormick had 10 points each, while

sophomore Lauren Stapanski had 12 against Mt. SAC.

OCC resumes play Thursday in the Santa Barbara tournament.

*--*

Mt. SAC tournament

Third-place game Compton 77, Orange Coast 69

Compton -- Jackson 3, Banks 15, Decoud 16, Brown 10, Maxwell 8, Thalley 11, Daring 6, Barnes 8. 3-pt. goals -- Jackson 1.

Orange Coast -- Naff 24, Chades 12, D’Alessandro 8, Katayama 8, Castro 11, Stepanski 5, Viloria 1. 3-pt. goals -- Chades 2, D’Alessandro 2, Katayama 2, Naff 1. Halftime -- Compton, 38-31.

*--*

Northridge tops UCI

* SOCCER: Willie Sims scored in the 64th minute to lead host Cal

State Northridge to a 1-0 Big West Conference men’s soccer victory

over UC Irvine Sunday.

UCI fell to 7-13, 3-7 in conference, while the Matadors improved

to 11-5-2, 6-2-2.

Belden UCLA bound

* WATER POLO: Newport Harbor High senior girls water standout Anne

Belden has signed a letter of intent to play for UCLA.

The two-time high school All-American will join her older brother

Peter and older sister Katherine in Westwood.