CINCINNATI -- Seventh-ranked Xavier allowed an average of 83 points in its first five games.But, in the past two contests, both against Northern Iowa -- one of the nations best 3-point shooting teams -- the Musketeers gave up only 59 and 42 points, respectively.Defense was a struggle for Xavier at times last season, too. But, it appears this seasons team is beginning to figure things out at that end of the floor.I dont worry about offense, I never do, said head coach Chris Mack. Well figure out ways to score. Were going to have those nights when we dont. But if we defend at this level, well be in most every game we play.The Musketeers finally get to face a new opponent when they host North Dakota State on Tuesday night (6:30 p.m. ET) at Cintas Center.Among the keys to the turnaround is the maturation of point guard Edmond Sumner, a dynamic offensive player whos taken some time to develop into a quality defender. He held Northern Iowas hot shooting guard Jeremy Morgan scoreless in the first half of Saturdays 64-42 win.Edmond a year ago was lost off the ball, said Mack. Hes grown up a lot.Xavier (6-0) played Northern Iowa twice in six days -- in the championship game of the Tire Pros Invitational in Orlando (won by Xavier 67-59) and in Saturdays regularly scheduled matchup at Cintas Center.It was the first time since 1960 that the Musketeers played the same non-conference opponent in consecutive games.Now Xavier faces an opponent it has never met.The Bison (5-2) are coming off a 64-50 loss to Missouri State on Sunday in which they couldnt overcome a 17-point halftime deficit. North Dakota State got 19 points from sophomore guard Khy Kabellis and Paul Miller finished with nine, but it never was closer than 10 points after halftime.The Bison boast one of the nations top 3-point shooters in junior guard A.J. Jacobson, although he connected just once in Sundays loss. He is 14-of-18 from beyond the arc this season. The Bison shoot 36 percent as a team from 3-point range.Kabellis getting on a roll bodes well for North Dakota State. He scored 13 of his points in the second half and was 3 of 7 from 3-point range Sunday.It was nice to see him get going, Bison coach David Richman told the Fargo Form. We needed that from the start though, from everybody.The Bison will need contributions from everyone if they are going to be competitive against Xavier, a top-10 Big East Conference opponent on the road.The Musketeers are firing on all cylinders, led by J.P. Macura, whos averaging 17.7 points and 3.5 assists. Guards Trevon Bluiett and Sumner both are averaging better than 16 points per game.Xavier must not get caught looking ahead to Saturdays clash with No. 9 Baylor in Waco, Texas.Good teams lock in on the challenge and the moment, said Mack. Air Max 95 Norge . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. Air Max Thea Hvit ., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., took sixth spot on Saturday in pairs at the NHK Trophy ISU Grand Prix figure skating competition. http://www.airmax-norge.com/nike-sko-air-max-axis-norge.html . The 17-year-old native of Marystown, N.L., pulled out of Skate Canada International last month in Saint John, N.B., with the same problem. Nike Air Vapormax Norge . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup. Air Max 95 Hvit . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. HARTFORD, Conn. -- A former UConn soccer player who lost her scholarship after giving the middle finger to a television camera said she is suing the school, calling her punishment excessive.Noriana Radwan, who now plays for Hofstra, held a news conference Monday in Newburgh, New York. Her lawyer said the lawsuit would be filed later in the day in U.S. District Court in Connecticut.Radwan made the obscene gesture to an ESPNU camera while celebrating with teammates after the Huskies beat the University of South Florida 3-2 on penalty kicks in the 2014 American Athletic Conference championship game.Coach Len Tsantiris initially suspended Radwan from the 2014 NCAA Tournament and issued a statement apologizing to the conference, USF and those who watched the game on television.In her federal lawsuit, a draft of which was given to The Associated Press, Radwan alleges that after the publicity died down, she was stripped of her scholarship midway through the school year without due process for what the coach described as serious misconduct.Radwan said she wrote a letter of apology to UConn officials after the incident, which the school never acknowledged. She also apologized Monday.I did not intend to offend anyone. I was making a celebratory statement that was seriously misinterpreted and misjudged, Radwan said in a prepared statement. I loved UConn, but I lost faith in it as an institution when it allowed my scholaarship to be illegally taken away so abruptly and crassly in the middle of the school year, violating all trust I had.ddddddddddddShe is seeking monetary damages.What she really wants is to make sure something like this does not happen to any other young woman, Greg Tarone, her lawyer said.Tarone also said that while Radwans offense was regrettable, it hardly rises to the level of serious misconduct, and the punishment was much harsher than what male athletes at the school have received for more serious offenses.He said a UConn football player, offensive lineman Brian Cespedes, was not even suspended from his team after being arrested Dec. 10 on misdemeanor assault charges stemming from a September incident that was not public at the time.Its clear from the information Ive gathered that there have been many other incidents of much more serious misconduct and nobody lost a scholarship over it, Tarone said.UConn spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz said the school has not seen the lawsuit and cannot comment on it because of federal privacy laws.Radwan, a midfielder, played in nine games for the Huskies as a freshman. She did not have a goal.She transferred to Hofstra, where she is on a partial athletic scholarship. She started 17 games this past season, scoring six goals and adding an assist. ' ' '