Men's basketball coach Bruce Parkhill believes that at this juncture in the season, it's the attitude of the players that proves the main determinant of how his team will perform on the court.

That philosophy can also be applied to the Lions' weekend opponent, St. Joseph's. The Hawks enter Rec Hall tomorrow for a 2 p.m. contest.

In less than two days, the Hawks reached the pinnacle of their season and then sank to their lowest point, following a near flawless performance with a miserable one.

After the Hawks staged an emotional 66-60 upset over Atlantic-10 conference leader Temple on Monday, they were swept away by lowly Miami, 87-64. St. Joe's (8-13, 5-8) looks to get back on track in tomorrow's matinee performance.

Penn State (14-7, 7-5), on the other hand, hopes to stay on track and in the hunt of the conference race following a 78-51 victory over St. Bonaventure. Through Wednesday's games remaining, the Lions were in a fifth place tie with George Washington.

"We needed to bounce back and get a win and a little momentum going into Saturday," Parkhill said of Wednesday's victory. "St. Joe's is playing much better and they've got some good young kids.

"We've got a tough assignment ahead. St. Joe's scares me -- they're a very dangerous team."

St. Joe's, winners of seven of its last 13 games, boasts a more high-powered offense than previous years. The Hawks average 80 points per game this season.

Guard Bernard Blunt, an A-10 Freshman-of-the-Year candidate this season, paces the squad, averaging 19.4 points per game.

"Blunt's a great player," Parkhill said. "He's the kind of kid that can beat you by himself."

First-year coach John Griffin sends a young team onto the floor, with Blunt and rookie Rap Curry anchoring the backcourt. Curry averages 11 points and is among the A-10 leaders with 5.7 assists per game.

Veteran Hawk scorer Craig Amos has been steady again this season. The 6'6" junior is shooting 42 percent from the floor and averaging 14.7 points per game.

The small forward also leads the team with a 39 percent shooting mark from the 3-point line. The Hawks have buried 127 treys this season.

The Lions will counter with their stingy man-to-man defense and try to silence and frustrate the Hawk offense. Guard Monroe Brown is coming off a brilliant defensive effort Wednesday, recording three steals which led to breakaway layups.

Brown has also experienced an offensive surge, scoring 14 points, including 2-of-4 on 3-pointers. The junior is averaging 11 points a game this season and improved his field goal shooting to 46 percent.

Brown will have extra incentive this weekend. A busload of family and friends is making the trip to Rec Hall for the St. Joe's contest.

"We're going to be pumped up," Brown said. "Everyone in the league is tough. It's a key game -- it's going to set the stage for the stretch run."

A key for the Lions will once again be the success of the inside game. Brown and point guard Freddie Barnes will try to orchestrate the controlled-tempo offense and feed the ball inside to the Lions' big men.

Dave Degitz turned in his most agressive effort in the paint, scoring 16 points in the team's last outing. He and forward James Barnes should experience a significant size advantage over the Hawks. Barnes is averaging 12.4 points and seven rebounds a game.

Reserve forward John Dietz remains questionable for tomorrow's contest. The sophomore was sidelined Wednesday with an ankle injury.