Sports: Lions beat Saints

Lions

The Lions opened up a big lead and then hung on to beat the Saints 35-27 on "Monday Night Football" in New Orleans.  Detroit built a 21-3 lead at the half.  The Lions came out in the second half, using the running game to score again.  Joique Bell and Ameer Abdullah combined for 148 yards and averaged more than 8 yards per carry. Lions kicker Matt Prater missed his first field goal of the season but the Lions hung on for the win.

Matthew Stafford was 22 of 25 for 254 yards, no interceptions and threw three touchdown passes.  Saints Quarterback Drew Brees passed for 341 yards and three touchdowns, becoming only the fourth quarterback to surpass 60,000 yards in a career while also eclipsing the 4,000-yard mark for the 10th straight season.  The Lions are 5-9 on the season. They host the 49ers on Sunday.

Pro Bowl

The NFL Pro-Bowl rosters will be announced on Tuesday.

Boys High School Basketball

Battle Creek Central lost to Ann Arbor Huron 58-38 at the Battle Creek Central Fieldhouse, the site of the annual Chuck Turner Holiday Classic.

Coldwater 55, Bronson 33

Calhoun Christian 57, Tekonsha 54

Marshall Aacademy 61, Barry County Christian 51

Red Wings

The Red Wings host the Devils tonight.

Pistons

The Pistons will be in Miami tonight to take on the Heat.  It's the second stop on a three-game road trip for Detroit.  Detroit has won two straight and four of its last five games to move to 16-and-12 overall.

College Basketball

Eastern Michigan beat Coppin State 73-62.  Freshman James Thompson IV notched his seventh-consecutive double-double.

The top-ranked Michigan State Spartans take on Oakland University tonight in a neutral site game at The Palace. State's top scorer, Denzel Valentine, will be out for two to three weeks with a knee injury.  Coach Tom Izzo said Monday that Valentine had a piece of cartilage removed after an injury in practice Sunday. He calls it "very, very, very minor."

Izzo says Eron Harris will be added to the starting lineup. Valentine could return to play Illinois on Jan. 7.

Michigan is off until Wednesday when the Wolverines host Bryant University at the Crisler Center.

Women’s Basketball

Tori Jankoska had 28 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to help No. 24 Michigan State beat Detroit 81-42 on Monday night for its fifth straight victory.

Woodson to Retire

Oakland Raiders safety Charles Woodson is retiring after 18 seasons.  Woodson announced Monday that he will end his career after the final two games of this season. Woodson says he realized late last month that he couldn't play another season and wanted to announce his decision before playing his final home game Thursday night against San Diego.  The Michigan grad  is one of the top defensive backs to play the game. He is tied for fifth in NFL history with 65 interceptions and is still playing at a high level at age 39. He has five interceptions and three fumble recoveries this season, ranking second in the NFL with eight takeaways.

Tigers Trade Lobstein

The Detroit Tigers sent left handed pitcher Kyle Lobstein to the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash considerations.  Designated for assignment by the Tigers on December 18, Lobstein pitched in 13 games, including 11 starts, for the Tigers in 2015.