the first half of the season by ceding possession to their

VANCOUVER -- The B.C. Lions accomplished their mission Saturday night. They succeeded in their goal of limiting star Calgary running back Jon Cornish, while handing the Stampeders a 26-22 loss at B.C. Place Stadium. "We ran through our plan totally," said Lions nickelback Korey Banks, who forced Cornish to fumble in the second quarter, setting up a touchdown that put B.C. ahead to stay. "Hes a great back and he runs behind a great (offensive) line. Calgary was as good as advertised. They were 5-1 for a reason. We knew it was going to be a tough fight. We come out and played our best." The Lions improved to 5-2 and moved into a tie for second place with the Stampeders, who are also 5-2. B.C. avenged a one-sided season-opening loss to the Stampeders and ended their winning streak at four games. But the win was not all about defence. Tim Brown returned a kick-off 97 yards for a touchdown and Andrew Harris scored on a 40-yard passing play. Backup quarterback Thomas DeMarco also scored a touchdown for B.C., the first of his CFL career. The Lions earned their remaining points from a Paul McCallum field goal, three converts and a late safety conceded by Calgary. Cornish did score a touchdown for Calgary, on a short run, but the Lions held him to 73 yards rushing and just 10 through the air. The effort was a stark contrast from his previous game when he ran for 175 yards and four touchdowns against Saskatchewan, and the June 28 season opener against B.C. when he scored four TDs. Marquay McDaniel also scored a touchdown for Calgary, while Rene Paredes furnished two field goals and a pair of converts. B.C. also surrendered a safety. "I think if you look at the film we made a lot of mistakes," said McDaniel. "Not to take anything away from B.C. They played great. But I think when we look at the film, Im pretty sure theres a lot of mistakes out there. Calgary general manager and coach John Hufnagel lamented his teams struggles to close the gap on B.C.s seemingly precarious 21-16 half-time lead. "We really had a poor third quarter, and thats because we did not do a good job catching the football," said Hufnagel. "I didnt think it was the quarterbacks play that hindered us. We need to catch the football." The Lions, who have had trouble scoring in the first quarter this season, got off to a quick start as Harris caught a short pass from Travis Lulay and scampered into the end zone from 40 yards out on B.C.s first drive. Harris gained the upper hand on Cornish in the ongoing rivalry between the two Canadian tailbacks. The Lion gained 117 all-purpose yards as he rushed for 56 on 13 carries and gained 61 more on three pass receptions. "I dont even know what the stats were," said Harris. "Im just happy we got the win." Cornish enabled the Stampeders to draw even at 7-7 as he bulldozed two yards into the end zone late in the first quarter. But B.C. quickly took the lead again, with Brown returning Paredes ensuing kick-off 97 yards for a touchdown. Parades had a chance to tackle Brown near the sideline, but he turned away and did not make contact while Brown twisted in the opposite direction and angled his way into the end zone. Brown said he saw Paredes, but he also got a block that enabled him to go away from him. A safety conceded by McCallum helped the Stampeders reduce their deficit to 14-9. Calgary took a 16-14 lead midway through the second quarter after Kevin Glenn connected with Marquay McDaniel on a 14-yard touchdown pass. But a rare miscue by Cornish enabled the Lions to take a 21-14 lead. After catching a Glenn pass, Cornish was hit hard by B.C. nickelback Korey Banks and the ball popped into the hands of linebacker Adam Bighill. Although the ball did not hit the ground, it was ruled as a fumble, with Banks credited for the force. But he downplayed his effort. "Id rather get the win than turnovers," he said. "We encircled the ball from the first quarter to the fourth quarter." B.C. got the ball on Calgarys 28-yard line. Four plays later, backup quarterback Thomas DeMarco plunged across the goal-line. "It was a great feeling to get back into the end zone," said DeMarco, a second-year pro who had not hit paydirt since college and has yet to throw a TD pass in the CFL. The touchdown came after a pass interference penalty on Calgarys Chris Randle, who tugged on Emmanuel Arceneaux in the end zone, giving B.C. the ball at the Stampeders one-yard line. DeMarco was searching for the ball after the game, hoping that someone from the club had secured it for him. "If I can find it, Ill keep it," he said. Lulay completed 16 of 28 passes for 223 yards, but was intercepted three times. Glenn was good on 22 of 38 pass attempts for 199 yards with no picks. Calgary managed to get in scoring range in the closing seconds, but a Glenn incompletion on a third-and-one situation gave the Lions the ball and the victory. The Stampeders passing game was hurt by the loss of veteran Nik Lewis in the first half. Hufnagel said he suffered a broken leg. "For the next half-dozen games, yes, hell be out of the lineup," said Hufnagel. "Yes, he is instrumental to our football team, but thats the game. Not one person is bigger than the team. "We just wish Nik a speedy recovery." Notes: The Lions made a last-minute uniform change to what the club called new "gun-metal grey" attire featuring orange paws and piping. The new duds effectively camouflaged black, orange-bordered jersey numbers from a distance. ... Offensive lineman Steve Myddelton dressed for his first game as a Lion after being acquired in a trade from Calgary on August 5. ... 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After losing Brett Cecil to groin tightness on Friday, the Blue Jays watched as R. Jeff Bagwell Jersey . Serves hit by her surgically repaired shoulder often missed the mark, resulting in 12 double-faults.Leicesters Premier League title charge was built on exhilarating attacking play in the first half of the season, but their mean defence is coming to the fore now. After a fourth 1-0 victory in five games against Crystal Palace on Saturday, we take a look at how the high-flying Foxes have adapted… When Leicester sat top of the table at Christmas it was largely thanks to a record of 37 goals in 17 games. Jamie Vardys record-breaking scoring run had propelled them to unthinkable heights, but when the goals started drying up for the 29-year-old it was widely anticipated the magic would fade and the Foxes would start to slide.Their defensive record did not exactly cry out solidity, after all. Leicester had conceded 24 times in those 17 games - the same number as relegation-threatened Swansea - and it wasnt until late October that Claudio Ranieri had to come good on his promise of pizza to reward their first clean sheet of the season. Three months on, however, and Leicesters players are dining on pizza almost every week. Premier League viewers have become accustomed to seeing them at the top of the pile - and the Foxes are just seven games away from making history with a title challenge that is rapidly gathering momentum. Leicesters Premier League record before and after Christmas Leicester 2015/16 Before Christmas After Christmas Games played 17 14 Wins 11 8 Draws 5 4 Losses 1 2 Goals scored 37 17 Goals conceded 24 7 Clean sheets 3 9 Leicester remain a deadly force on the counter-attack, but the statistics illustrate how the emphasis has shifted since Christmas. Before then, the Foxes were averaging 2.2 goals per game, but they have only netted 17 times in 14 outings since then at a rate of just 1.2 goals per game.Despite the drop-off in goals scored, however, Leicesters results have remained consistent, with their average points per game only falling slightly (from 2.4 before Christmas to 2.0 afterwards) while their lead at the top of the table continues to grow. Leicesters Premier League record before and after Christmas Leicester 2015/16 Before Christmas After Christmas Goals per game 2.2 1.2 Shots on target per game 5.1 3.9 Goals conceded per game 1.4 0.5 Shots on target faced per game 4.2 3.4 Points per game 2.2 2.0 A run of four shut-outs in five games has highlighted their defensive resilience in recent weeks, but the stinginess has been apparent for months.dddddddddddd Since Christmas, and with help from midfield enforcer NGolo Kante, a first-choice back five of Kasper Schmeichel, Danny Simpson, Robert Huth, Wes Morgan and Christian Fuchs has only been breached seven times.Once we got that first clean sheet, it cemented the idea in peoples heads that keeping a clean sheet is a great foundation to build upon, said back-up goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer on Sky Sports News HQ. Weve got players who will always score goals, so if you can keep a clean sheet when the season gets tighter and the pressure starts to mount, you can win games by the odd goal. Speaking on Sky Sports News HQ, Leicester City goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer highlights their defence as the key to their impressive recent form Having found defensive shut-outs so hard to come by at the start of the campaign, Leicester have now kept nine in their last 13 games. In the same period, no other Premier League side has managed more than seven. They have the look of champions about them, noted Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp in his Daily Mail column - and hes not the only one to have been impressed.They dont give a lot away, said Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew after Riyad Mahrezs first-half strike settled Saturdays game at Selhurst Park. Theyre underestimated defensively. Theyve got energy and theyre up to the ball all the time. Theyre tight and its difficult to create against them. Most Premier League clean sheets since Christmas Team Clean sheets Leicester 9 Southampton 7 Arsenal 6 Manchester City 6 The two centre-halves are confident in possession, they rarely make mistakes and they dont slash at clearances. They make good clearances from their defensive third and theyre fast. They have a lovely balance to the team and you have to admire them.Leicester have also had to adapt to their opponents attempts to nullify their goalscoring threat. The Foxes thrived in the first half of the season by ceding possession to their rivals, waiting for mistakes and springing forward on the counter-attack, but since their 2-1 defeat to Arsenal the likes of Norwich and West Brom have played them at their own game. Kasper Schmeichel, Robert Huth and Christian Fuchs have shone in recent weeks The Foxes have therefore averaged 53.4 per cent possession in the last five games compared to 40.5 per cent earlier in the season. The enforced change of approach has resulted in fewer opportunities for Ranieris attackers to get in behind, but their defensive solidity has made the difference at the other end.Leicester are now within touching distance of one of the most extraordinary achievements in football history, and while Mahrez and Vardy are likely to battle it out for the player of the year gong, they are certainly not the only individuals who are due a considerable share of the credit. Leicesters remarkable stats We look at the numbers behind Leicesters Premier League title charge. Also See: Leicesters remarkable stats Leicester to slip up? Ranieri remaining grounded Mahrez: Title getting close ' ' '