RICHMOND, Virginia (Ticker) -- Six years after moving up to
Division I, Hampton clinched its first NCAA Tournament bid with
a 70-58 victory over South Carolina State in the championship
game of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament.
Tarvis Williams scored 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting for Hampton
(24-6), which trailed only once early in the first half and
pulled away for its 13th win in 14 games.
A 6-9 senior, Williams also blocked seven shots, grabbed five
rebounds and dished out two assists.
LaSean Howard added 15 points and 11 rebounds and Marseille
Brown collected 12 points, eight assists, four rebounds and a
pair of steals for the top-seeded Pirates.
South Carolina State (19-13), the second seed, never got
untracked, shooting 31 percent (21-of-67) from the field and
missing 8-of-15 free throws.
Vincent Whitt scored 15 points, John Shivers had 12 and Andre
Riviere added 11 off the bench for the Bulldogs.