CINCINNATI -- Edmond Sumner ditched the tape on his injured finger and played his best all-around game, a good sign for No. 17 Xavier as it enters Big East play.Sumner scored 12 of his 14 points while Xavier took control in the first half, and the Musketeers picked up their third straight win, 85-56 over Eastern Washington on Tuesday night.After a sluggish start, the Musketeers (10-2) took control with a 35-8 run. Sumner ran the show, ignoring the finger injury he suffered a few games ago.Every time I catch or dribble the ball, its just nagging, said Sumner, who had been taping together the two outside fingers on his left hand. Im a little superstitious. With the tape, I felt I had no control over the ball. I had to suck it up and play through the pain.Sumner finished with a career-high nine assists and no turnovers. Trevon Bluiett added 16 points, and Xavier had five players score in double figures.Jacob Wiley had 16 points for Eastern Washington (8-4) , which trailed by as many as 29 points.We were up 11 at the 11-minutes mark, then Xavier showed why theyre a Top 10 team, Eastern Washington coach Jim Hayford said. They were 6 for 6 closing out the first half. When they shoot the ball that well, theyre an unbeatable team.Eastern Washington made eight of its first 13 shots -- including two 3s by Felix Von Hofe -- against Xaviers sluggish defense for a 22-11 lead. Thats when Xavier turned it on, finishing the half on a 35-8 surge.We clamped down after sleep walking for the first 8 minutes or so, coach Chris Mack said.Kaiser Gates hit three of Xaviers seven 3s during the spurt and finished with a season-high 12 points . Gates, a sophomore forward, had knee surgery before the start of the season and missed the first five games. Hes struggled to get back in form, making only 4 of 17 from behind the arc before Tuesday night.Overall Id say its the best Ive felt, Gates said. I felt a lot more loose than usual, a little more bouncy.BIG PICTUREEastern Washington: The Eagles are 1-24 all-time against ranked teams, including losses this season to Texas and Xavier. Their only win over a ranked team was 68-67 over No. 10 Saint Josephs on Nov. 15, 2001.Xavier: Sumner showed no problems handling the ball despite the sore finger. He made all of his four shots in the first half -- two from beyond the arc -- and two free throws.POLL IMPLICATIONSAfter consecutive road losses to Baylor and Colorado dropped them out of the Top 10, the Musketeers have stabilized with their three straight wins.VON HOFE HURTVon Hofe, who is Eastern Washingtons top 3-point shooter, hurt his left shoulder while going for a loose ball with 5:21 left in the game and went to the bench. He wore a sling at the end of the game. Von Hofe finished with nine points, going 3 of 10 from beyond the arc.OFF THE MARKEastern Washington came into the game making 81.8 percent from the free throw line, second nationally to Notre Dame, but went only 9 of 18 against Xavier.UP NEXTEastern Washington goes to Colorado on Thursday for the third of four straight road games. The Eagles finish their trip at Idaho on Dec. 30.Xavier opens Big East play against Providence at the Cintas Center on Dec. 28.---More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org Blues Jerseys China . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Authentic Custom Blues Jersey . The team said Saturday that Lopez was hurt during its 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia on Friday. The Nets said they would issue another update next week after consultation with their doctors. http://www.custombluesjersey.com/ . 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He spent the last two seasons with the Chicago Bears, who waived him on Saturday. Mariani, who kept his house in Nashville, was at practice Monday and said it feels good to be back with the Titans who drafted him in the seventh round out of Montana in 2010.I didnt want to leave the first time, and Im excited to be with a team and an organization that I love and that has treated me so well and also a team that I really think I can help and wants me to help and contribute, Mariani said. It feels good to be wanted down here, and Im excited to get things rolling.Mariani was a Pro Bowl returner as a rookie but was on injured reserve for both 2012 and 2013. The Titans released him in the final cuts of August 2014, and Chicago signed him in November that year. Titans coach Mike Mularkey was coaching tight ends on Ken Whisenhunts staff in 2014 and said Tennessee brought Maariani back for his return skills.ddddddddddddReally it gives us somebody in both areas that we can use as a returner that has been to the Pro Bowl because of it, Mularkey said. Hes had a lot of success. It was good for this team. This team is excited to have him back. I think the fans will be, as well. Hes one of these guys weve been talking about -- tough, dependable and team-first. He fits right in with us right away.Mularkey said the Titans gave players chances to win the job as returner. They also released Dexter McCluster, who had returned punts, on Friday.We gave guys chances, Mularkey said. We attempted to develop. You can say that about a lot of guys. Thats your job, and sometimes it doesnt work that way. No, I havent given that a second thought.The 29-year-old Mariani has career averages of 9.5 yards per punt return and 25 yards per kickoff return. He has scored on two punt returns and one kickoff return. He also has 27 career catches, with 22 of them coming last season.---Online:AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '