MID-EASTERN: Hampton's two-year reign as conference champion ended today with a 72-67 loss to South Carolina State. The Bulldogs overcame a large first-half lead by the Pirates behind 21 points by Thurman Zimmerman. Hampton had been the darling of bracket busters across the country the last two years, beating Iowa State in 2001 and narrowly losing to Kansas last year as a 15th seed.