RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Aaron Williams made a 10-foot shot with 2 seconds left and Delaware State beat Hampton 55-53 Saturday for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship and its first NCAA tournament berth.

The Hornets (19-13) trailed for most of the game, but Jahsha Bluntt tied the game at 53 on a 3-pointer with 1:08 left, and Williams collected a loose ball and swished his shot to cap the comeback.

It was the third time this season the top-seeded Hornets have beaten Hampton (17-13), and Delaware State’s trip to the NCAA tournament will be the first for any program in the school’s athletic history.

Bluntt scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half for Delaware State, and Terrance Hunter finished with 15, also getting 11 in the half.

Bruce Brown led the Pirates with 14 points and 14 rebounds, but missed a putback from in front of the basket in the final minute. Devin Green also scored 14 for Hampton, but had just two in the second half.

The Hornets were playing in their first championship game since 1993, while Hampton was was seeking its third league championship in five years.

In 2001, the Pirates became the fourth 15th seed to win a game in the NCAA tournament, stunning Iowa State 58-57 before losing to Georgetown.

The Pirates had a chance to try and repeat their magic, getting the ball after a timeout with one minute left and the game tied at 53. But Jeff Granger’s drive missed and Brown’s putback attempt banged off the rim. The Hornets rebounded and called time with 29 seconds left.

After Williams killed some of the time, the Hornets tried a 3-pointer from the right side and the ball was batted around under the basket, finally landing in the hands of the wide-open Williams, who won it.

Hampton got 3-pointers from Junior Pehoua and Granger to take a 53-48 lead, but Darrin Shine fed Hunter for a dunk and Bluntt followed a Pirates turnover with his third 3-pointer in six minutes to tie it at 53 with 1:08 left.

Hampton scored the first five points of the second half to lead 30-21, but the Hornets more than doubled their point total over the next 10 minutes, pulling even at 43 on Bluntt’s 3-pointer with 7:07 to go.

Bluntt gave Delaware State a 48-47 lead on a 3, its first since the early going, but Pehoua answered with a 3-pointer for the Pirates.

Early on, it looked as though it might be a Hampton runaway.

The Hornets made their first shot, then missed 16 of 19 as the Pirates opened a 25-12 lead. But Hampton never scored again and Delaware State closed the half on a 9-0 run to get to 25-21.

AP-ES-03-12-05 1421EST