Atlantic City, NJ -- (Sports Network) - In an all-Philadelphia Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament championship game, the second-seeded Temple Owls battle the fifth-seeded Saint Joseph's Hawks at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

The Hawks soared into this matchup thanks to a 61-53 victory over the top- seeded Xavier Musketeers. SJU opened the event with a convincing 80-62 victory over Fordham, and followed that with a 61-47 victory over Richmond. The Hawks lost the A-10 title both in 2005 and 2006, and have not won this event since 1997.

As for the Owls, they have won their last six games, including a 60-45 victory over Charlotte last night in the semifinals. Temple, which earned an opening- round bye, began tournament play with a hard-fought 84-75 victory over La Salle in quarterfinal action. The Owls have the most A-10 tourney titles with six, but they will be making their first appearance in the event's final since 2003 when the team fell to Dayton, 79-72.

This will be the 146th meeting in this bitter rivalry, but it is the first- ever in the Atlantic 10 title game. SJU has won 12 of the last 14 matchups, but Temple won the most recent contest, defeating the Hawks 57-56 earlier this month. Even with SJU's recent success against Temple, the Owls still hold an 81-64 advantage in the series.

Pat Calathes was determined to get his Hawks into this evening's title tilt, as the forward's 24-point, eight-rebound effort helped St. Joe's pull off a 61-53 upset of Xavier. Calathes has been the main option throughout the season for the Hawks, as he is currently averaging 17.9 ppg to go with 7.6 rpg. Calathes has also contributed 85 assists, 41 blocks and 41 steals. Ahmad Nivins added 15 points in the win over the Musketeers, while Rob Ferguson contributed 11 points. Nivins and Ferguson have been key pieces to SJU's success this year, and head into this game netting 14.3 and 11.8 ppg, respectively. Tasheed Carr dished out a team-best five assists for the Hawks on Friday, as the team shot 46.5 percent from the floor and connected on 6- of-17 attempts from behind the arc. Saint Joseph's has put forth a solid effort offensively on the year, and is currently producing 73.6 ppg behind a 47.8 percent showing from the floor overall.

The Owls completely shut down the 49ers yesterday, as Temple defeated Charlotte in a 60-45 final. Temple limited the 49ers to a 27.1 percent shooting effort, which included a 6-of-32 showing from long range. The Owls also dominated the play on the glass, outrebounding Charlotte by a 40-28 margin. Simply put, it was an outstanding performance by Temple, which is surrendering 68.7 ppg on the season. At the other end of the floor, the team was led by Mark Tyndale, who overcame eight turnovers to finish with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Tyndale is one of the most versatile players in the nation, as the guard is posting 16.1 ppg, while leading the squad with 7.2 rpg, 134 assists and 50 steals. Chris Clark added 13 points in the recent win, while Ryan Brooks chipped in eight points to go with six rebounds. As for the team's main scoring threat, Dionte Christmas, he finished with just six points and three rebounds. Christmas is the other half of Temple's two-headed monster, as the junior possesses a tremendous amount of ability as evidenced by his 20.2 ppg scoring average. The duo of Christmas and Tyndale has been the driving force for the Owls, who are producing 72.7 ppg on the year.