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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Pittsburgh was so darn good in the first half, coach Kevin Stallings found it easy to forgive his players misdeeds over the final 20 minutes.Jamel Artis scored 15 of his 22 points before halftime, and the Panthers held off previously unbeaten Maryland 73-59 Tuesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.The Panthers (6-1) shot 67 percent from the floor in the first half, including 5 for 10 beyond the arc, and used a 25-4 run to build a 46-25 lead at the break.I thought our team played about as well in the first half as weve played on both ends, Stallings said. We were alert and active.It was 51-26 with 15:45 remaining before Maryland (7-1) closed to 63-55 with three minutes left, in part because Pittsburgh shot 26 percent in the second half.Coming off two come-from-behind wins in the Barclays Center Classic in New York, Maryland was vying for its first 8-0 start in 10 years.Instead, the Terrapins absorbed their worst home defeat since falling by 18 to Duke in February 2011.Though coach Mark Turgeon wouldnt cite fatigue as a factor, he was quick to point out that the Terrapins were coming off late games on Friday and Saturday.It was a good time to catch us, he said.Michael Young scored 25 and Cameron Johnson added 11 for Pittsburgh, which extended its winning streak to four despite being outscored 35-28 after halftime.Melo Trimble led Maryland with 13 points, but he missed 9 of 13 shots. The Terps shot 34 percent, committed 14 turnovers and were outrebounded 38-36.Trimble insisted that playing for the third time in five days had nothing to do with it.We like playing basketball; this is what we do, he said. I dont think fatigue was a factor; its just we couldnt hit shots and they played well.Pittsburgh led 26-20 before Artis made a 3-point play, a 3-pointer and a layup to spark a 14-0 spurt that made it a 20-point game.They kind of punched us in the mouth in the first half, Turgeon said.Maryland, formerly of the ACC, is 0-3 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge since 10 joining the Big Ten.THE TAKEAWAYPittsburgh: Despite the late fade, the Panthers proved they can play with some of the stronger teams in the country. This one erases some of the doubt created by a nine-point loss to SMU and a five-point win at home against Yale.Maryland: The Terps have put themselves in a seemingly insurmountable hole many times this season, and this was no exception. On this occasion, the deficit was simply too much to handle. Maryland cant afford these slow starts once Big Ten play begins.ZONED OUTPittsburghs zone defense was a factor in Maryland going 9 for 26 in the first half, including 4 for 16 from beyond the arc.It took away a lot of drives, Young said. They had to swing the ball around the perimeter.Asked if Marylands struggle against the zone could be a factor in the future, Turgeon replied, Please zone us. Were going to be great against the zone.FRIENDLY FOESStallings and Turgeon were assistant coaches under Roy Williams at Kansas from 1989-92. During that time, Williams made a comment that stuck with Stallings over the years and was very applicable on Tuesday night.He used to say that in the dictionary, the definition of fun was ... winning on the road, Stallings said. Its hard to win on the road. This was certainly fun for our guys. And fun for our staff. Nice to come here and beat a good team on the road in a good environment.UP NEXTPittsburgh faces local rival Duquesne on Friday night in The City Game, a tradition that started in 1932.Maryland hosts Oklahoma State (5-1) on Saturday night. The Cowboys are coming off a 27-point win over Georgetown, a team the Terrapins beat 76-75.Kenyon Martin Jersey . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. Garrett Temple Jersey . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. https://www.cheapnetsonline.com/ . Louis. To which I would say two things: 1. Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. And spoken is defined as one calling the other to inquire, no more, no less. DeAndre Jordan Jersey . "Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal. Stephon Marbury Jersey . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said.NEW ORLEANS -- Broncos safety Darian Stewart was in the right place at the right time, as Denver defenders often seem to be.Shutting down quarterback Drew Brees for four quarters was always going to be a tall order, particularly with starting quarterback Aqib Talib and starting defensive end Derek Wolfe injured. Still, Denvers dynamic defense produced four pivotal turnovers in a wild 25-23 victory over the previously surging Saints on Sunday.The Saints offense is real tough and we knew that coming in, said Stewart, who had two interceptions and a fumble recovery . We had a lot of guys out injured, which only made the challenge more difficult. But we had a lot of guys who stepped in and made contributions. That was huge.The game ultimately was decided in the unlikeliest of ways. Denver rookie Justin Simmons blocked a potential go-ahead, extra-point kick by New Orleans Wil Lutz, and rookie teammate Will Parks grabbed the loose ball, returning it 84 yards for a defensive 2-point conversion with 1:28 left in the game.Yet New Orleans might never have relinquished its 17-10, second-half lead if not for two fumbles forced by Denvers defense.The Broncos, who entered the game with the top-rated pass defense in the NFL, intercepted Brees twice in the first half.Stewart made his first interception by anticipating Brees throw down the left sideline and cutting in front of intended target Travaris Cadet at the Denver 9-yard line. The second came when Stewart snagged a pass ripped from rookie receiver Michael Thomas grasp by defensive back Bradley Roby.In the fourth quarter, Stewart once again found a ball landing in his lap when Roby punched the ball away from Thomas after a reception over the middle.Thats a play we work on, Roby said of his strip. In that situation, you have to say to yourself, `Youve got to go for the ball.Denver converted that turnover into Demaryius Thomas game-tying touchdown.Then came defensive end Jared Cricks crushing tackle of Thomas that forced another fumble, recovered by T.J. Ward to set up a field goal which put Denver ahead 23-17 with just under 3 minutes left.Those plays helped Denver overcome Brees NFL-record 56th game with at least 300 yards and three TDs passing.The four turnovers, they cost us the game, Brees said. It made it a lot closer than it probably should have been.Heres what else stood out in Denvers victory over the Saints:PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Simmons said Denver had picked up on some of the Saints place-kicking tendencies and figured they might be able to block a kick by having a player hurdle the offensive line.dddddddddddd Simmons said the Broncos worked on the play, called Leaper, all week.Its something you work on all the time, Denver coach Gary Kubiak said. Its risky to do because if you touch somebody, its a penalty. There are certain situations in a game where you say it is worth the risk, and this was one of them.ELITE BREES: Brees passed for 303 yards with touchdowns on a 32-yard pass to Brandin Cooks , as well as 3- and 5-yard tosses to Willie Snead. He did it against a Broncos defense that entered the game allowing just 183.3 yards passing per game. Who knows what kind of numbers Brees might have had it three drives werent stalled by turnovers in which the ball was knocked from Michael Thomas hands?MIXED BAG: The Broncos are still living with quarterback Trevor Siemians rookie mistakes. He threw two interceptions and didnt seem to see cornerback Sterling Moore jumping the route on the first or Kenny Vaccaro standing right in the balls path on the second. He also took six sacks. But he made a number of clutch throws -- not just on his TD passes of 14 yards to Jordan Taylor and 2 yards to Demaryius Thomas. He also completed a slew of drive-extending throws and the Broncos converted 11 of 19 third downs.BETTER BLOCKING: Two of Denvers best pass rushers -- Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware -- were held without a sack by a Saints offensive line that was missing starting left tackle Terron Armstead. Andrus Peat took over for Armstead, sliding over from left guard, and Senio Kelemete took Peats guard spot. Denver, which came in with 28 sacks, managed just one on Brees, by linebacker Shaquil Barrett.QB PRESSURE: New Orleans ramped up its pass rush in a big way. The Saints had 11 sacks in their first eight games, but six different defenders got a sack apiece on Siemian: rookie defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, defensive tackle Nick Fairley, end Cameron Jordan, safety Kenny Vaccaro and linebackers Dannell Ellerbe and Craig Robertson.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '