RIO DE JANEIRO -- When Beijing gold medalist Phil Dalhausser teamed up with Nick Lucena less than a year ago for a long-shot run at the Olympics, it was more out of friendship -- and a lack of alternatives -- than anything else.Dalhausser was coming off two straight seasons with injuries. Lucena had never been to the Olympics, struggling to find a partnership that worked.We were playing with the houses money, Dalhausser said Monday after losing in three sets to Brazilian world champions Alison and Bruno in the quarterfinals on Copacabana Beach.Its been a lot of fun, Dalhausser added. I couldnt have done it without him. I wouldnt have wanted to do it with anyone else.At 6-foot-9 and already an Olympic champion, Dalhausser is one of the most feared players in the sport. He won his gold medal with Todd Rogers in 2008, and the pair returned to the London Games, finishing ninth.But last August, already a year into the two-year qualification cycle, his partnership with two-time Olympian Sean Rosenthal had stalled -- in part because of Dalhaussers abdominal and calf injuries. So he went back to Lucena, his partner for a couple dozen events when they were first starting out.Im pretty fortunate to play with him, Lucena said after the 21-14, 12-21, 15-9 loss to Brazil left them in fifth place. Hes one of the best players in the world. I wanted to win this for him.Lucena and Dalhausser first teamed up in 2003, a time when they were traveling all night to play in domestic tournaments and sleeping on the beach outside the gates to save money. After they split in 2005, Lucena played with four different partners that year; Dalhausser went on to become a world and Olympic champion.But Dalhaussers injuries left him with little chance of making it back to the Olympics -- or so he thought.Nobody gave us a chance to qualify, he has repeated often.I gave us a chance, Lucena interrupted playfully, just hours after their Olympic elimination. I dont know what hes talking about.The two played their way to No. 3 in the international standings and a spot on Copacabana Beach with a whirlwind of 13 tournaments in 12 months -- just one event more than the minimum. They cruised through Olympic pool play with a 3-0 record.And that was the problem.When Alison and Bruno lost in the preliminary round, they wound up second in their group. The blind draw lined them up with the Americans in the quarterfinals in a match that could have easily been the final.In the second quarterfinal match, the Dutch team of Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen advanced with a 25-23, 21-17 victory over countrymen Reinder Nummerdor and Christiaan Varenhorst.Fans waving Brazilian flags had to struggle to hold onto them in a stiff breeze that began just as play started Monday. The Brazil and Olympic flags on the poles ringing the top of the stadium came partially loose and fluttered wildly while the poles shook in the wind.Trash swirled around the arena.The Brazilians dominated the first set against the United States and then -- just as decisively -- struggled in the second. The Americans fell behind 12-6 in the third, and then the 6-foot-8 Alison and the crowd took over.With a block to force match point and then a spike off Dalhausser for the winner, the man known as the Mammoth moved within one win of a second straight Olympic medal.Brazil will play the Netherlands in one semifinal match, and Russia will play Italy in the other. The fifth-place finish for the Americans, combined with the 19th-place finish by Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson, ties with Athens for the worst finish by the U.S. men in an Olympics.I have learned so much from the Americans. They are good friends outside of the court, Alison said. Theres respect for them, and they must be celebrated. Discount Bears Jerseys . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year. Cheap Bears Jerseys . 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George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. PITTSBURGH -- Down two goals -- and even worse, down two defensemen -- after two periods on Thursday night against San Jose, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan offered his players a much-needed reminder.You can win ugly in this league, Sullivan told them.The Stanley Cup champions responded with 20 minutes of grit against an opponent only too familiar with how deep the Penguins can dig when the moment requires.Evgeni Malkin, Scott Wilson and Patric Hornqvist scored in a 7:15 span in the third period to lift the Penguins to an unlikely 3-2 victory in a rematch of last Junes Stanley Cup Final. Hornqvist and Malkin both finished with a goal and an assist while Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 32 shots to buy the Penguins time until the offense finally got going.We played right, Malkin said. We moved the puck quickly. We shot the puck. . We did the right things. There were lucky goals, off the post, off the goalie. Its not pretty, but its important goals.Tomas Hertl and Patrick Marleau scored for the Sharks, who controlled the first 40 minutes and appeared well on their way to a one-sided victory before falling apart late. Martin Jones made 17 saves but saw the play in front of him break down in the third.This league is really a race to three goals, thats pretty much how it works, and we couldnt get the third goal, San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said. Again, let them hang around, which is something weve done lately.The Penguins captured the franchises fourth Stanley Cup in an entertaining final last June, finishing off the Sharks in Game 6 in San Jose. If San Jose wanted a glimpse at just how close it came to its first title, they need only look toward the rafters at PPG Paints Arena during warmups to get a look at the banner the Penguins raised last week.San Jose insisted Thursday had nothing to do with revenge or any sense of payback. Last June is gone. For now the Sharks are still trying to find an identity even with nearly the same roster back for another run.Theyre off to a hot start and certainly looked fresh playing for the third time in four days on the road. Not so much Pittssburgh, which failed to generate anything in a shutout loss in Montreal on Tuesday.dddddddddddd It looked like more of the same 48 hours later with captain Sidney Crosby (concussion) and defenseman Kris Letang (upper body) out of the lineup.Hertl gave San Jose a 1-0 lead 5:04 into the second thanks to a strange sequence in which Fleury lost control of his stick when a shot from Brent Burns smacked off the handle. The puck was briefly cleared but as Fleury tried to chase the stick down, the Sharks rushed back into the zone and Hertl eventually jammed a rebound off a shot by Joe Pavelski past the stickless goaltender.San Joses lead doubled shortly after Hornqvists goal was overturned, stripping Chris Kunitz to create a 2-on-1 that ended with him taking a pass from Logan Couture and burying it by Fleury.Things changed quickly even with Derrick Pouliot and Olli Maatta unavailable after leaving with undisclosed injuries.Malkins second of the year -- a shot from between the circles 6:47 into the third -- got Pittsburgh started. Wilson tied it 2:14 later when he collected the puck from the corner and darted to the net before slipping a backhand by Jones.Hornqvist completed the comeback by slamming a rebound by Jones on the power play to give the Penguins the lead. Sullivan praised his defensemen while also giving credit to Malkin, Kunitz, Hornqvist and Phil Kessel for fueling an improbable comeback.They played inspiring hockey, Sullivan said. They played the right way in the third period and they were hard to handle because of it. When those guys play that way, they give us a chance to win.Game notes Crosby did not skate Thursday, a scheduled day off. ... The Penguins also scratched Conor Sheary (eye). ... San Jose scratched Fs Michael Haley and Ryan Carpenter and D Dylan Demelo. ... The Penguins went 1 for 5 on the power play. The Sharks were 0 for 3.UP NEXTSharks: wrap up a five-game road trip Saturday at Detroit.Penguins: visit Nashville on Saturday. Cheap Authentic Jerseys Cheap Stitched Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys Jerseys NFL Cheap Cheap NFL Gear Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Hoodies ' ' '