Feb. 8, 2007

PHILADELPHIA - Fourth place in the Atlantic 10 is up for grabs Thursday as Saint Joseph's and Xavier enter the contest with identical 5-3 conference records. the Hawks ride a two-game win streak and have posted victories in five of their last six games. A matchup of last year's Atlantic 10 quarterfinal, a game in which Saint Joseph's won 70-67 (boxscore on page 5), the Hawks will try to earn their second straight win over the Musketeers, as XU enters the game 2-4 all-time at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.

• Saint Joseph's Game Notes

SCOUTING THE MUSKETEERS
Picked to finish third in the Atlantic 10, Xavier enters Thursday's game tied for fourth with a 5-3 record, but have won three of its last four games. Under fifth-year head coach Kevin McGuff, the Musketeers have been led by a talented rookie and a quintet of seniors. Nationally considered on of the best freshmen in the game, forward Amber Harris has made her presence felt for Xavier, averaging team-highs in points (16.3 ppg), rebounds (8.2 rpg) and block (3.6 bpg). With Harris going strong in the post, look for three guards to take charge from the perimeter. Classmates Suntana Granderson (13.1 ppg), Michele Miller (11.3 ppg) and Miranda Green (8.3 ppg) have started all 24 games this season for the Musketeers. In the other post, senior DeAnna Mason (4.7 ppg) should get the start, with super-sub, senior Joei Clyburn (10.9 ppg), seeing plenty of time. (Full preview on page 5)

THE SERIES
The Hawks and Musketeers meet for 17th time when the two squads face-off Thursday at the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse. Saint Joseph's, which holds a slight 9-7 edge in the all-time series, is 4-2 at Hawk Hill against Xavier, including a 70-67 win last March in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The Hawks, who dropped two straight to the Musketeers prior to last March, last earned a regular-season win at home over Xavier on January 31, 2003 (67-64).