for a fourth-and-2 in the second quarter and Stafford threw a pa

NEW YORK -- Zak Irvin led five players in double figures with 16 points and Michigan pulled away late in the first half for a 79-61 victory over Marquette in the second semifinal of the 2K Classic at Madison Square Garden Thursday night.Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and reserve Mark Donnal added 15 points apiece for Michigan (3-0), which led for the final 33-plus minutes and beat Marquette for the 14th time in 20 meetings.Michigan will face SMU in the championship game Friday. Marquette will face Pittsburgh in the consolation game.The Wolverines shot 59 percent in the first half and 51 percent overall.Luke Fischer led the Golden Eagles (2-1) with 19 points, Hannif Cheatham added 12 and JaJuan Johnson contributed 11 but it was not nearly enough as Marquette shot 41 percent and committed 15 turnovers.Marquette trailed by 29 early in the second half and made a slight dent in the lead with about 6 1/2 minutes remaining when Matt Heldt scooped in a layup through a double team after nearly fumbling the ball away to make it 67-53.Michigan did not let the lead slip below 12 and sealed the win when Irvins 3-pointer late in the shot clock spun around the rim before going in with about a 4 1/2 minutes remaining. On the next possession, D.J. Wilson converted an alley-oop baseline dunk and free throw for a 73-57 advantage.Marquette held a pair of one-point leads early in the second half and stayed with Michigan until around the eight-minute mark. Already leading 28-20, Michigan scored 10 straight points in a span of 2:05 and held a 50-26 lead at halftime.BIG PICTURE:Marquette won its first two games by double digits over Vanderbilt and Howard, getting away with shaky first halves. The Golden Eagles averaged 36.5 points in the first halves those games but against a higher level of competition, Marquette was held to 26. The first four possessions of the second half did not go well either as the Golden Eagles were called for traveling twice and were not close on two 3-point attempts.Michigan made 342 3-pointers last season, the most in school history, and the third time under coach John Beileins spread offense the Wolverines made at least 300. Michigan is off to a good start again from long range. After going 16 of 45 in its first two wins, the Wolverines were slightly better Thursday with a 9-of-23 showing.UP NEXT:Marquette will face former Big East foe Pittsburgh in the 2K Classic championship game Friday.Michigan will face SMU in the 2K Classic championship game Friday. Steve Cishek Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Kris Bryant Cubs Jersey . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. Clarksons actions one night earlier, leaping off the bench in defence of Kessel during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres, will cost him the first 10 games of the regular season. http://www.cubsauthentic.com/cubs-kerry-wood-jersey/ . The 15th-ranked Canadian men lost the opening two games of their European tour: 19-15 to No. 17 Georgia and 21-20 to No. Ian Happ Jersey . 31, the CFL club announced Monday. The team also has yet to decide on the future of Doug Berry, who began the season as a consultant to the head coach but took over the offensive co-ordinators duties in July. Brandon Kintzler Jersey . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions are starting to turn around their season, finding ways to make enough plays on both sides of the ball in the final minutes to win.Matt Prater made a tiebreaking, 34-yard field goal with 1:29 left and Rafael Bush followed with a victory-sealing interception two plays later, giving Detroit a 31-28 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.The Lions (3-3) have won two straight games with Prater making the winning kick and a defensive back following up with an interception on the ensuing possession. Last week, Praters kick and Darius Slays interception gave Detroit a win over previously unbeaten Philadelphia.Weve gotten comfortable being uncomfortable, Detroit coach Caldwell said. They feel like thats the norm.The Rams (3-3) have lost two straight since winning three in a row.Case Keenum completed a Rams-record 19 straight passes, but couldnt connect with Lance Kendricks on the long throw that Bush stepped in front of near midfield.I saw the quarterback staring and knew I just had to catch the ball, Bush said.Keenum finished 27 of 32 for 321 yards with three touchdowns -- two to Kenny Britt, one to Kendricks -- and an interception.We did some good things offensively, but unfortunately we were a couple plays short, Keenum said.Britt had season highs with seven receptions and 136 yards, 47 of which came on a highlight-reel catch .Todd Gurley gained 15 yards on his first carry, but finished with just 58 yards on 14 rushes as another team figured out how to slow him down. At the end of the first half, Gurley was stopped for a loss of 1 on a fourth down from the Detroit 1 with the score tied at 14.Id do it again, Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. Were inside the 1. Shoot, youve got to bang that in.Detroits Matthew Stafford was 23 of 31 for 270 yards, with a season-high four touchdowns.Golden Tate had eight receptions for a career-high 165 yards and a touchdown. Marvin Jones, Anquan Boldin and Andre Roberts also caught TDs for the Lions.CATCH OF THE DAYBritts best game of the season included quite a catch. Keenum lofted a long passs over Britts left shoulder which the receiver corralled with his right arm.dddddddddddd The ball was jarred loose when Britt hit the turf, he squeezed it between his legs, lost it again and pinned the ball against his shoulder pads on a play that stood after review.The defender had my left hand and I reach back to get it, Britt said. I felt it go down by my legs and I trapped it. Its all about concentration.TAKING ADVANTAGEDetroits Zach Zenner made the most of an opportunity to play with Theo Riddick and Dwayne Washington out with injuries. The second-year pro had career highs with 14 carries and 58 yards rushing -- matching Gurleys production on the ground -- and caught two passes for 19 yards.Hes not flashy, Caldwell said. But hes effective.GOING FOR ITDetroit converted two fourth downs, gaining 2 yards on Zenners run on the opening drive that ended with Staffords sharp, 7-yard TD pass to Jones. The Lions also went for a fourth-and-2 in the second quarter and Stafford threw a pass off his back foot under pressure. Roberts beat cornerback E.J. Gaines to the ball in the end zone.INJURY REPORTRams defensive tackle Michael Brockers aggravated his hip injury and defensive back Lamarcus Joyner left with a forearm injury. Detroit defensive end Ezekiel Ansah returned after missing three-plus games with an ankle injury, but was replaced on the inactive list by defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (shoulder). Detroit linebacker DeAndre Levy (quadriceps, knee) and tight end Eric Ebron (ankle, knee) were also inactive. The Rams were without two starters on defense, listing cornerback Trumaine Johnson (ankle) and end Robert Quinn (shoulder) inactive.UP NEXTThe Rams planned to fly to London after the game for a game against the Giants.Well carry this disappointment with us in a long road trip, Fisher said.The Lions will host Washington in their third straight home game.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '