RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- All the struggles finally were worth it for

Hampton. A team branded with the dreaded label of "potential"

finally delivered on that promise.

"We had some ups and downs, but this team persevered and stayed

together and fought together," coach Bobby Collins said. "There

was one great man who always told me, 'Just believe in yourself,

just believe in yourself."

When pressed on who it was, Collins flashed a smile and said,

"A great man."

It still is great advice.

Jaz Cowan had 15 points, Jeff Granger added 14 and the

sixth-seeded Pirates got the MEAC's automatic bid to the NCAA

tournament for the third time in the past six years with a 60-56

victory over Delaware State on Saturday night.

Now, if the Pirates (16-15) can only make this trip to the

postseason as successful as their first one in 2001. They were only

the fourth No. 15 seed to advance past the first round when they

upset second-seeded Iowa State 58-57, and the next year, Hampton

gave Connecticut a tough game before losing by 11.

Somehow duplicating those efforts seemed nearly impossible

before this conference tournament, when the Pirates limped in as

losers in six of their previous seven games. A team meeting helped

clear the air a bit and allowed Collins to leave his players a

motivating message.

"When a team doesn't play up to its potential, that's a

reflection of the coach," he told them. "I challenged them that

we have to step our game up if we're going to think about winning

the championship."

No problem there.

"Coach deserved it more than anybody," Granger said. "He went

through so much, we put him through so much that people don't know

about. It was just a big burden off our shoulders, just winning the

championship."

The Hornets (20-13) successfully defended their regular-season

title for coach Greg Jackson, but they couldn't beat Hampton in the

final for the second straight season. Tracey Worley scored 15

points for Delaware State, which had to overcome an

uncharacteristically poor outing from MEAC Player of the Year

Jahsha Bluntt.

"I was forcing a lot of shots," he said. "I was too anxious

to win. I should have let the game come to me."

Bluntt came in averaging nearly 15 points but finished with only

five on 1-for-11 shooting from the field.

"That's the way it is," Jackson said. "Unfortunately, we came

up short. But this team achieved way beyond my expectations. I hope

you write this down -- we'll be back, I promise you that."

Yet this wasn't very easy for the Pirates. The Hornets trailed

46-30 when Cowan made a jumper with about 7 minutes remaining,

completing a stretch during which Delaware State missed four shots

in a row. Perhaps out of desperation, Jackson abandoned his

slow-paced, drain-the-shot-clock strategy and employed a full-court

press.

The change had amazing results. The Pirates had turnovers on

four their next five possessions -- their only points came on two

free throws from Dewayne Spencer -- and the Hornets eventually

closed within five on consecutive layups by Joe Dickens. The margin

shrunk to three on Darrin Shine's basket from in close.

"I think our kids showed a lot of character getting back into

the ball game," Jackson said. "We fell so far behind that we used

so much energy getting back into the ball game."

Thanks to some shoddy shooting at the line by both teams, it

still was four in the final seconds when Elyon Bush tipped in a

miss by Bluntt to make it 56-54. Rashad West converted both at the

line on the other end for a four-point advantage before Bush again

put back a rebound.

Granger made only one of two when he got fouled, giving Delaware

State one final chance at a tie. But Dickens missed badly on a

3-pointer from the corner, and Spencer sealed it with another free

throw.

When the buzzer sounded, the Pirates were mobbed on the court by

a small group of fans, and a few of the players jumped on the press

table and removed their jerseys in celebration. The hats and

T-shirts proclaiming them MEAC champions soon followed.

"It's just a great feeling," Cowan said. "We've got a group

of guys, and it's just been a great experience. I'm just so

happy."

The Hornets still have at least one more game, too. As the top

seed from the MEAC, they are guaranteed a spot in the NIT, and

Jackson has big plans for the trip.

"These kids deserve to play," Jackson said. "We're going

there to try to win the championship."