Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championship Recap
No. 1 Delaware State 55, No. 2 Hampton 53
Senior guard Aaron Williams hit a putback with less than two seconds remaining to lift No. 1 Delaware State to a 55-53 victory against No. 2 Hampton to give the Hornets their first-ever ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
Williams collected the rebound and shot the game winner in a single jump after senior guard Bruce Davis missed a three-pointer from the corner. Williams’ bucket capped a second-half rally after Hampton led 25-21 at halftime and 41-32 midway through the second half. Sophomore guard Jahsha Bluntt led the Hornets with 16 points and five rebounds, and he hit a critical three-pointer late in the game.
Hampton shut down Delaware State’s offense for much of the first half, but sloppy play right before halftime facilitated a 9-0 run. The Hornets carried that momentum into the second half. Junior center Bruce Brown was Hampton’s leader with 13 points and 14 rebounds, but Brown clanked a putback that would have broken a 53-53 tie with less than a minute remaining. Senior guard Devin Green scored the most points for Hampton with 14.
Despite Hampton’s strong play early, the Hornets hung around by taking care of the ball. Shooting less than 36 percent from the field, they could not afford to make many mistakes. And they didn’t, committing only six turnovers.
Delaware State will likely draw a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament and likely would be Illinois’ first-round opponent in Indianapolis Thursday.
