Temple Travels to Saint Joseph's Sunday Looking For Season Sweep of the Hawks

Jan. 26, 2007

PHILADELPHIA- Temple (15-5, 5-0 A-10, 2-0 Big Five) will look to rebound from Wednesday's loss when it travels to Saint Joseph's (11-8, 3-2 A-10, 3-0 Big Five) on Sunday, January 28. The Owls hope to complete a season sweep of the Hawks when the game tips off at 5 p.m. on CSTV. The game can also be heard live on The Big Talker 1210 AM.

This is the 63rd meeting between the Temple Owls and the Saint Joseph's Hawks. Saint Joseph's leads the series, 39-23, which began in the 1938 season. The teams last met on January 9, 2007, when Temple defeated the Hawks, 59-53, at the Liacouras Center.

Gimmie Five...A Big Five
Temple has won the last two Philadelphia Big Five titles and three of the last five. The Owls have gone a perfect 4-0 through the city series for two straight seasons and have strung together 14 straight Big Five wins. TU is currently 2-0 in city series play after defeating Villanova, 68-66, (12/22) and Penn, 68-49 (12/29). A win tonight would give Saint Joseph's the crown, as the Hawks are 3-0 in city series play.

World Domination
The Owls have clearly made their mark in Atlantic 10 history by winning four of the last five Conference championships, including three in a row. Last season, the Cherry and White had its 24-Conference game winning streak snapped but Temple's A-10 domination is by no means over. TU has won 42 of its last 46 A-10 games.

All good things must come to an end...no matter how well Kamesha Hairston plays. Hairston netted 20 points, including 12 points in the first half, and had six rebounds to lead Temple but it was not enough as Rutgers ended the Owls' 11-game winning streak with a, 62-48, victory on Wednesday night. Ahead 25-24 at the half, the Owls fell apart in the second stanza. Temple made just seven field goals, while the Scarlet Knights shot a blazing 61% from the field to open up the 16-point lead. Hairston was the lone offensive power for Temple, as the next closest scorer was Fatima Maddox with nine points. The 48 points is the lowest point total since the Owls defeated the Scarlet Knights, 48-47, on January 19, 2006. LaKeisha Eaddy dished five assists in the loss and had a team-high two steals.

Hairston leads Temple in scoring and rebounding, averaging 20.9 ppg and 9.2 rpg.  Lady Comfort is second with 12.9 ppg and 6.8 rpg. Maddox is third, averaging 12.3 ppg. Eaddy continues to put up great numbers, with the guard fourth in scoring (6.8 ppg) and first in assists (81).

Saint Joseph's is one win away from its first Big 5 title since the 2000-01 season as the Hawks topped Penn, 62-51, Wednesday evening in a City Series contest. Saint Joseph's improved to 3-0 in the Big 5 with the win. The Hawks led from the first whistle, extending their advantage to 16, 31-15, before settling on a 31-17 lead heading into halftime. Ayahna Cornish led all scorers with 18 points, to go with five rebounds, while Whitney Ffrench added 17 points and four assists.

Cornish leads the Hawks with 15.7 ppg, while Jen Oyler is second with 10.1 ppg.  Erica Pollock is tops in rebounding (6.7 rpg), while Whitney Ffrench has dished a team-high 53 assists thus far this season.

Temple University Athletics

Temple Travels to Saint Joseph's Sunday Looking For Season Sweep of the Hawks

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