Feb. 15, 2006

TIPPING OFF
The Big 5 title as well as third place in the Atlantic 10 is up for grabs Friday evening as the Hawks travel to city-rival #22/23 Temple for the second of two meetings this season. Saint Joseph's, which enters the contest with a 1-1 record in the Big 5, needs a victory over the Owls Friday and a win at home against La Salle Sunday to force a three-way tie for the City Series crown. A win would give the Hawks a tie-breaker over the Owls for third place, as Saint Joseph's won the previous meeting on January 27, 65-64.

Click here for Saint Joseph's game notes.

SCOUTING THE OWLS
Coming off their third Atlantic 10 loss of the season, a mark Temple hasn't hit since the 2002-03 season, the Owls look to bounce back as they host their final Big 5 game of the season. Senior All-American candidate Candice Dupree leads the Owls as they look to claim the Big 5 crown with a victory. Dupree leads Temple in scoring (16.2 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 rpg) and is coming off her third A-10 Player of the Week honor. Likely joining Dupree in the front court are junior forward Kamesha Hairston (12.6 ppg) and sophomore center Lady Comfort (7.5 ppg). In the backcourt, the duo of senior Khadija Bowens (10.0 ppg) and Fatima Maddox (7.2 ppg) will likely start for head coach Dawn Staley. The combination of Dupree (20 points), Hairston (10 points), Comfort (two points), Bowens (17 points) and Maddox (13 points) accounted for 62 of the Owls' 64 points in their loss at SJU on Jan. 27.

THE SERIES
The Hawks and Owls will meet for the second time in three weeks as the venue changes to the Liacouras Center for Friday's matchup. Saint Joseph's enters the game 40-21 all-time versus Temple, but have won only three of the last 12 contests. With their 65-64 win on January 27, the Hawks snapped a six-game losing skid to the Owls, and have the opportunity to sweep the season series for the first time since 2002-03. The Hawks enter the game 11-11 all-time at Temple, posting a 4-5 record at the Liacouras Center.