CINCINNATI -- After a sloppy opening win, No. 11 Xavier spent its time working on defense. It was much improved the second time around.J.P. Macura scored 18 points and the Musketeers took advantage of 38 personal fouls by Buffalo, pulling away for an 86-53 victory on Monday night.The Musketeers (2-0) quickly opened a double-digit lead and got the balance back in their offense after relying on career highs for points by Trevon Bluiett and Edmond Sumner in their opening 84-81 win over Lehigh. Bluiett and Sumner had 13 points apiece on Monday.We took a step forward today, said Rashid Gaston , who had nine points and seven rebounds.The defense was much better, too, allowing few uncontested shots.Practice these last past couple days have really geared toward defense, Gaston said. We had to play more team defense.Buffalo (1-1) couldnt keep up with Xaviers quickness and quickly got into foul trouble. The Bulls trailed 42-22 late in the first half and had more fouls (23) than points.Two Bulls fouled out with 8 minutes left in the game, and Xavier went 28 of 38 at the line. Macura made all of his 10 free throws.Our team used Buffalos aggressiveness to our advantage, coach Chris Mack said.Nick Perkins led the Bulls with 15 points, and they shot only 31 percent from the field. Some of the Bulls complained about the many fouls called, but coach Nick Oats didnt see it that way.We need to learn to play defense without fouling, Oats said. Our guys said they got (bad calls), but those officials worked the tournament. They didnt cost us 30 fouls.With the big lead, Mack was able to use some of the freshmen who struggled in the opening win. Guard Quentin Goodin was tentative in the opener, but had 11 points and four assists after the coaching staff urged him to relax.I wasnt really scared, just hesitant, Goodin said. Tonight I played loose, started having fun, and it worked out. I just played the way I did when they recruited me.A LOT OF WHISTLESThe officiating crew of John Gaffney, Brent Hampton and Alfred Smith also called 21 fouls on Xavier for 59 total. The Bulls went 13 of 21 on free throws.TOUGH AT HOMEThe Musketeers improved to 218-31 at the Cintas Center.POLL IMPLICATIONSXavier slipped from No. 7 -- the highest preseason ranking in its history -- to No. 11 in Mondays poll, based upon the Musketeers sloppy win over Lehigh. They looked much better in this one.BIG PICTUREBuffalo: Blake Hamilton, the Bulls top returning scorer and rebounder, missed most of the preseason workouts with a broken non-shooting hand. He had 11 points and eight rebounds in a 76-66 win over Niagara on Friday. Hamilton fouled out against Xavier with eight points and three rebounds.Xavier: The Musketeers had three turnovers and defensive lapses in the final 61 seconds of their win over Lehigh, so holding onto the ball was a point of emphasis. They turned it over only nine times.The biggest part with the turnovers is we just had to settle down, Gaston said.UP NEXTBuffalo: Hosts Nazareth on Thursday, the Bulls only home game out of their first nine. Their next home game is Dec. 10 against Coppin State.Xavier: Plays Missouri on Thursday in the opening round of the Tire Pros Invitational in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.---More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org Wholesale NFL Jerseys Authentic . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. China NFL Jerseys . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. http://www.wholesalenfljerseyssupplycheap.com/ . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Cheap NFL Jerseys Paypal . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. Shakur Stevenson and Antonio Vargas, both members of the 2016 U.S. Olympic mens boxing team, are going pro after signing management deals on Tuesday.Stevenson, 19, of Newark, New Jersey, won a silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro Games, the best finish by an American male boxer since Andre Ward, now a unified light heavyweight world titleholder, won Olympic gold at the 2004 Athens Games.Ward is Stevensons boxing idol and now will be part of his management team. Stevenson signed with the trio of Ward, James Prince and Josh Dubin. Prince and Dubin, an attorney, represent Ward.I know I have a great team behind me with J. Prince as the head of it, working with Josh Dubin and Andre Ward, Stevenson said. I know that these guys can get me where I want to be, and I feel very comfortable with them behind me. Im so focused, and I promise to put 110 percent into making sure we become great as a team, and I plan on becoming one of the best boxers on the planet, which is my main goal.Now its on me to prove to the world that I can be just as great as the legends before me, and trust me, Im up to the task.Stevenson, who is named after the late rap star Tupac Shakur, advanced to the gold-medal final in the 123-pound bantamweight division in Rio in August but lost a split decision to Cubas Robeisy Ramirez, who won his second gold medal in a row after claiming flyweight gold in 2012.Stevenson, who went 23-1 in international competition, has been one of the most sought-after fighters from the Rio Olympics, including being wooed by promoter Floyd Mayweather, who traveled to Rio to watch him fight. Neither Stevenson nor Vargas has signed a promotional deal yet.Prince manages fighters such as Ward and heavyweight contender Bryant Jennings and used to manage Mayweather. Like many, he sees the flashy and skilled Stevenson as a future star.It is an honor and a privilege to represent this young man, Prince said. Andre, Josh and I know we have the next superstar in the sport. Shakur is not only a gifted fighter but someone that has the ability to be an icon. Our first goal is to sign him with the right promoter. Then, we will be with him every step of the journey toward greatness.Stevenson, who is the oldest of nine siblings, lives and trains in northern Virginia under the tutelage of trainer Kay Koroma. Stevensons grandfather, Wali Moses, introduced him to boxing as a child.I want to give a big thank-you to my grandfather -- big time -- for getting me where I want to be as far as boxing and becoming the boxer I am today, Stevenson said.dddddddddddd I want to thank Coach Kay for taking me in and coaching me and keeping me in the boxing environment when I moved away from Jersey. Im excited for this journey ahead of me, and my main goal is to be great.Vargas became the second 2016 U.S. Olympian in a week to sign with David McWaters Split-T Management. On Friday, McWater announced the signing of Olympic middleweight Charles Conwell, 19, of Cleveland.Now McWater has signed the 20-year-old Vargas, of Kissimmee, Florida, who was the U.S. flyweight representative at the Rio Games.I have known Split-T Managements David McWater for several years, Vargas said. The people I know told me a lot of positive things about him. He showed me he was a good person and the man who can manage my career the way it should be.I would compare my style to Manny Pacquiao, Vasyl Lomachenko, and going back a bit, Orlando Canizales because all three had fast hands and feet with the ability to stop on a dime and unleash powerful shots to the head and body that can get you out of there.At the Olympics, Vargas, who began boxing at age 9, lost to eventual gold-medal winner Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan in their second-round match.The Olympics did not go as I wanted, Vargas said. I lost to the eventual gold-medal winner. The loss made me real hungry, and now I train harder than I ever did before because I want to be the best. I plan on turning professional as either a junior bantamweight or bantamweight and win world championships in four different weight divisions.McWater praised Vargas.Antonio is just a special kid. Of course, he has all the talent and physical tools, but he is so much more than that, McWater said. Hes got incredible focus and determination, not to mention he is always very classy. I wanted to represent him since the first time that I saw him at the National Golden Gloves, and I know he will be a world champion.As professionals, Stevenson likely will fight as a 126-pound featherweight or 122-pound junior featherweight. Vargas plans to fight professionally either as a 118-pound bantamweight or 115-pound junior bantamweight. Both will make their pro debuts in early 2017. ' ' '