By Rob Maaddi
The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA - Saint Joseph's coach Phil Martelli looked at his players at halftime and saw a little fear in their eyes. Still, he wasn't worried.

Delonte West scored a career-high 32 points and Pat Carroll got all of his career-best 24 on 3-pointers, leading the 25th-ranked Hawks to a 78-59 victory over crosstown rival Temple at the Palestra on Thursday night.

Saint Joseph's, which trailed at halftime for just the second time this season, broke a 43-all tie with a 10-0 run in the second half.

"For the first time all year, I saw shreds of doubt, guys worrying," Martelli said. "I was a little disappointed. I was trying to stroke egos. But I didn't have any doubt. That's part of playing Temple."

The Hawks (18-3, 8-2 Atlantic 10) have won four in a row, and swept the season series for just the third time in 20 years.

Alex Wesby scored 20 points and Maurice Collins added 15 for the Owls (7-13, 5-5), who had won four of five.

Carroll, who leads the nation in 3-point shooting at 50.4 percent (58-for-115), was 8-for-15 from beyond the arc. West shot 13-for-19, including 4-for-9 from 3-point range.

West has averaged 29.3 points over the last three games. He and Carroll combined for 30 of the Hawks' first 31 points.

"In the first half, they exposed us a little," West said. "But coach didn't have to say a lot to us at halftime. We knew what we had to do."

West began the spurt with an 18-footer, and Carroll and West followed with consecutive 3s. After a slam by West made it 53-43, Collins hit a 16-footer to cut it to 53-45. But Carroll answered with his eighth 3 for a 56-45 lead with 10:44 left.

A driving layup by Chet Stachitas and a pair of free throws by West gave Saint Joe's its biggest lead to that point, 60-45. Temple didn't get closer than 13 the rest of the way.

"We just couldn't get the effort from our big guys," Temple coach John Chaney said. "That's a great team. They should be in the Top 10."

Jameer Nelson, one of the top point guards in the country, scored just four points but tied a career best with 12 assists for the Hawks. Saint Joe's had 24 assists on 28 baskets.

"That's basketball the way it's meant to be played," Martelli said.

Saint Joe's hit 15 of its first 20 shots in the second half and finished 28-for-50 (56 percent). Temple missed 19 of its 28 shots in the second half, finishing 24-for-59 (40.7 percent).

"We just couldn't score when they got it going," Wesby said. "Nelson didn't score much, but he was setting up guys."

Saint Joe's built a 14-4 lead in the opening minutes behind four 3-pointers, two each by Carroll and West. Carroll's sixth 3 gave the Hawks a 31-24 lead with 4:28 left in the half, but Temple went on an 11-0 run, taking its first lead, 33-31, on a runner by Wesby.

After a spinner by Collins made it 35-31, Tyrone Barley beat the buzzer with a 3 that cut it to 35-34 at the half.

The Hawks last trailed at halftime against DePaul, 31-28, on Dec. 21. They came back to win 65-62.

Carroll missed six of his seven 3-point attempts in the Hawks' 65-55 win at Temple on Jan. 14. He made six 3s in the first half Thursday night.

"Last game I wasn't making them so I didn't know what to think," Carroll said. "I knew they'd allow us an opportunity so I took advantage of it."