Temple Reignites Rivalry with Saint Joseph’s Saturday in Toyota Big 5 Classic

Saturday, December 6

Philadelphia, Pa.

4:30 PM

Temple University

Saint Joseph's

Photo by: Robin Hsiao

12.5.25 | Men's Basketball

Game Info
Saturday, Dec. 6 – 4:30 p.m.
Location: Xfinity Mobile Arena – Philadelphia, Pa.

Social Media
Twitter/X: @TUMBBHoops | Instagram: @tumbbhoops

Opening Tipoff

The Temple University men's basketball team (4-4) heads south on Broad Street to meet Saint Joseph's (4-3) in Game 2 of the Toyota Big 5 Classic on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. inside Xfinity Mobile Arena. The Owls and Hawks meet for the 166th time in program history, dating back to the 1901-02 season.
Temple and Saint Joseph's both posted 1-1 records in Big 5 pod play to earn spots in the third-place game, with the Owls earning a 90-63 win over La Salle before falling 74-56 to Villanova on Monday evening. The Hawks defeated Drexel, 76-65, before dropping an 83-74 loss to Penn.
Temple and SJU meet for the first time since the 2023 Big 5 Championship Game, in which the Hawks earned a 74-65 win over the Owls. Temple leads the all-time series 94-71 against its most frequent opponent.
The Owls continue to rank among the top teams nationally in fewest turnovers, ranking fourth among 361 NCAA Division I teams with 8.6 turnovers per game.
As it did in 2024-25 when it ranked in the top 10 nationally in free throw attempts and makes, Temple currently ranks second in The American in free throw attempts per game (26.5) and third in free throws made per game (19.0).
Jordan Mason continues to quarterback the offense, ranking second in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.22) and top 60 nationally.
Derrian Ford's 16.3 points per game ranks sixth in the conference.

Last Time Out

Temple fell at Villanova, 74-56, on Monday evening. The Owls trailed by a single point at halftime and took a 39-35 lead with 15:29 remaining, but the Wildcats outscored Temple 39-17 the rest of the way to earn a spot in the Toyota Big 5 Classic Championship Game.
Aiden Tobiason (15 points), Derrian Ford (14 points) and Jordan Mason (12 points) combined for more than 75 percent of the Owls' scoring output.

Scouting Saint Joseph's

Saint Joseph's enters the Big 5 Classic following a win over Drexel, 76-65, and a loss to Penn, 83-74. Most recently, the Hawks defeated Princeton, 60-58, in a tight finish. Sophomore guard Deuce Jones II led the way with 17 points and nine rebounds.
The Hawks hold a 4-3 record, with additional wins over Lafayette (85-76) and Rutgers-Camden (100-61). Jones leads the team with 17.0 points per game, while Derek Simpson (12.4) and Jaiden Glover-Toscano (12.3) round out the top three scoring options.
Last season, Saint Joseph's posted a 22-13 record and clinched its second straight Big 5 title with an 82-68 win over La Salle. The Hawks earned a bid to the National Invitation Tournament before falling to UAB, 69-65, in the first round. The team was led by Rasheer Fleming, who was selected in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft.
Steve Donahue is in his first season leading the Hawks following a nine-year tenure at Penn. Donahue was named associate head coach under former head coach Billy Lange in May before being elevated to head coach in September after Lange departed City Avenue to join the New York Knicks staff. Donahue inherits a roster highlighted by transfers Jaiden Glover-Toscano (St. John's), Deuce Jones II (La Salle), Al Amadou (Marquette) and Jaden Smith (Fordham). He aims to add another Big 5 title after winning the crown with Penn in 2018-19.