Johnson Rallies Late at Talladega

Jimmie Johnson barreled past teammate Brian Vickers with one lap to go at Talladega Superspeedway, then held off a charge from Tony Stewart to win the rain-postponed Aaron’s 499 on Monday in Talladega, Ala.

It makes Johnson two for two in restrictor-plate races this year. Using a similar strategy from the season-opening Daytona 500, when he stayed under the radar until the very end, Johnson powered to the front only when it mattered.

He pulled his Chevrolet alongside Vickers and eased it past him and into first at the start/finish line of the final lap. He used a huge block to hold off Stewart and seal his third win of the season.

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COLLEGES

Duke Committee Backs Return

A Duke University committee recommended its men’s lacrosse team resume play next season but said the team had a history of problems tied to alcohol and needed strict monitoring.

Duke suspended the highly ranked lacrosse team from play last month after allegations that a student at a nearby university hired to strip at a team party was raped and beaten by three men. A grand jury has indicted two players on charges of rape, kidnapping and sexual assault.

Several USC football players have signed as free agents with NFL teams, including punter Tom Malone (San Francisco 49ers), cornerback Justin Wyatt (Arizona Cardinals), receiver William Buchanon (Oakland Raiders), cornerback John Walker (Houston Texans) and safety Scott Ware (Philadelphia Eagles).

USC’s home opener against Nebraska on Sept. 16 and Nov. 25 game against Notre Dame will begin at 5 p.m. The USC-UCLA game at the Rose Bowl will begin at 1:30 p.m. All games will be on Channel 7.

-- Gary Klein

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UC Irvine will play Penn State in an NCAA men’s volleyball semifinal match at 5 p.m. PDT on Thursday at Penn State. UCLA will play Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne in the other semifinal.... USC will play Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the first round of the NCAA women’s water polo tournament May 12 at UC Davis. Defending champion UCLA will play Hartwick, N.Y., and UC Davis will play Hawaii.

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TENNIS

Agassi Will Play in London

Andre Agassi will return to tennis at Queen’s Club in London in June after a back injury that has sidelined him since March.

Agassi, an eight-time Grand Slam champion who turned 36 on Saturday, decided to skip the clay-court season so he won’t miss Wimbledon for a third straight year.

Five-time Grand Slam champion Martina Hingis beat Maria Kirilenko of Russia, 7-5, 7-6 (1), in the first round of the J&S; Cup in Warsaw.

The match between Daniela Hantuchova and Anna Smashnova was delayed until today because of rain.

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PRO FOOTBALL

Orders Pile Up for Bush Jersey

Reebok already has received 15,000 orders for a Reggie Bush New Orleans Saint jersey, believed to be the most ordered for a high draft choice. Last year, there were 6,000 early orders for the jersey of Alex Smith, who was taken by San Francisco with the first pick.

John David Washington, a running back who played at Campbell Hall and the son of actor Denzel Washington, was among 10 undrafted players signed by the St. Louis Rams. The Rams also added Connecticut basketball player Ed Nelson, a 6-foot-8 forward who hasn’t played football since his freshman year of high school, as a tight end.... Jai Lewis, a forward on the George Mason basketball team that stunned Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut on its way to the Final Four, agreed to a rookie free-agent contract with the New York Giants.

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HIGH SCHOOLS

Bengals Sign La Mirada Alum

Former La Mirada High star Erik Meyer, who won the 2005 Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in NCAA Division I-AA football, has agreed to a free-agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. The 6-1, 210-pound Meyer passed for 4,003 yards with 30 touchdowns and five interceptions last season at Eastern Washington.

Jerren Shipp, a 6-5 senior who led Fairfax in scoring with an 18.5 average, has signed with Arizona State. Shipp’s oldest brother, Joe, was an All-Pacific 10 Conference player at California, and another brother, Josh, is a starter at UCLA.

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MISCELLANY

Skier Killed, Husband Sought

Former Swiss skiing star Corinne Rey-Bellet and her brother Alain were shot and killed in their parents’ home, and police were trying to find Rey-Bellet’s husband. The attack late Sunday night, which also left Rey-Bellet’s mother hospitalized with serious injuries, occurred in the Swiss mountain resort of Les Crosets, according to the Valais state police. Rey-Bellet’s mother was able to call police despite her injuries.

U.S. Coach Bruce Arena is expected to announce his 23-man World Cup roster today.

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JURISPRUDENCE

Rose Jr. Gets Prison Sentence

Pete Rose Jr., the son of baseball’s career hits leader, was sentenced in Nashville to one month in prison and five months of home detention for distributing a steroid alternative to his minor-league teammates.

The man charged with assaulting Miami Dolphin linebacker Jason Taylor faces hate crime charges, police said.

Redmond Charles Burns, 24, allegedly used racial epithets and yelled obscenities at Taylor, who is black, during a highway confrontation Sunday night in Davie, Fla. Taylor told police that Burns grabbed his shirt, ripping it in several places. Taylor also said he suffered a “minor laceration” on a forearm from a metal object Burns allegedly used to attack him.