St. Joseph's hoping for some home medicine

St. Joseph's coach Phil Martelli suggests that ear plugs could be necessary when the Hawks host Temple in Sunday's crucial Big Five and Atlantic Ten basketball matchup Saturday at Hagan Arena.

A little chicken soup for some ailing Hawks may not be a bad idea, either.

If last year's 82-72 win at Hagan Arena that snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Owls is an example, the crowd will be treating this like a postseason affair.

"What better way to be playing a Philadelphia Big Five game, an Atlantic Ten game on Saturday night in a place you won't be able to hear yourself think," Martelli said.

St. Joseph's is 12-7, 3-3 in the A-10 and 1-1 in the Big Five. Temple is 14-6, 3-3, and 2-0. Hawks guard Langston Galloway is among the players who has had a bug. He scored just six points in Wednesday's 66-62 win over Fordham while battling a stomach virus.

"I am trying to get some energy and trying to rest up and get ready for Saturday," Galloway said before participating in Thursday's practice.

Center C.J. Aiken was ill and didn't practice Thursday. But guard Carl Jones is confident the team's health won't be an issue.

"A lot of people are battling colds, and we should be all right and ready for Temple," Jones said.

Jones, averaging a team-high 15.1 points, is coming off two solid games, and not coincidentally the Hawks won both. He had 15 points in a 59-49 win over Xavier and 19 in Wednesday's win over Fordham.

That is the first time this season the Hawks have won consecutive A-10 games.

Another player who has been hot is 6-8 junior Halil Kanacevic, who has averaged 14.3 points, seven rebounds, and four assists while shooting 16 for 24 from the field in his last three games.

"We are looking forward to playing Temple," Kanacevic said. "It's a big game in the city, another A-10 game, but it means more because it's a Philadelphia game."

Last season, the St. Joseph's win over Temple resulted in a share of the Big Five title for both teams. Even more important this season are the A-10 ramifications. Just 21/2 games separate the top 14 teams in the conference. Only 12 will qualify for the A-10 tournament, with the top four receiving byes.