Jhamir Brickus’ heroics help La Salle battle its way to an overtime win over Rhode Island

With 30.9 seconds on the clock in overtime, the fans at Tom Gola Arena screamed “Time! Time!” as La Salle’s Jhamir Brickus hit a step back three-pointer at the top of the arch, putting the Explorers ahead by a point.

In a matchup that came down to the final minutes, La Salle (7-8, 1-1 Atlantic 10) had little room for mistakes as it closed out a 77-75 win against Rhode Island (5-10, 1-2) on Saturday afternoon.

Brickus came up clutch for the Explorers down the stretch. He hit three straight free throws to the game, 71-71, and send it to overtime.

“There’s nothing like making three foul shots at the end of the game to tie it and go to overtime — amazing shot,” head coach Fran Dunphy said. “We’re grateful for the win. Happy to get it, happy for the guys.”

Dunphy has emphasized the importance of taking care of the ball on offense. While the Explorers got off to a rocky start, they utilized their strong suits, attacking the glass and grabbing the defensive rebounds in their first conference win of the season.

» READ MORE: Against stiff conference competition, La Salle is eager to right its ship

Khalil Brantley led all scorers with a season-high 29 points. He made 9 of 20 shots from the field and went 9 for 10 at the free-throw line.

Additionally, Brickus contributed 13 points off the bench, and guard Anwar Gill, who made his fourth start of the season, added nine points.

Rhode Island’s Jalen Carey and Brayon Freeman scored 18 points each, with Carey adding a game-high 11 rebounds. Ishmael Leggett added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Rams.

In the first half, Dunphy decided to make a rotation change. He replaced starting forward Mamadou Doucoure and guard Josh Nickelberry with guards Daeshon Shepherd and Brickus.

A four-guard-and-one-forward combo pulled La Salle out of a 11-point hole. Dunphy took notice in the second half and had Shepherd and Brickus start the period alongside three original starters — Gill, Brantley, and Fousseyni Drame.

“It was really our defense and speed when we did four guards and one big,” Brickus said. “We were trying to beat them up the court and trying to guard. I think we did a great job of that.”

» READ MORE: At La Salle, former Temple hoops standout Trey Lowe found a way to keep his love of basketball

La Salle kept its lead alive in the second with a 6-2 run, but it wasn’t long until the Rams found their footing. The Explorers fell into foul trouble, committing 18 total, sending Rhode Island, a team with a 73.5% free-throw percentage, to the line.

After Gill committed his third foul with 8 minutes, 59 seconds remaining, Brandon Weston made a pair of free throws to give the Rams a 52-51 lead — their first lead of the second.

» READ MORE: Rokas Jocius, from Lithuania to La Salle, seeks to develop his game

Rhode Island went on a 13-2 run to take a 23-12 first-half lead. The Explorers became flustered, forcing shots and committing sloppy turnovers.

Brantley looked to his team at one point and said, “Calm down,” gesturing his hands toward the court. And that’s exactly what La Salle did.

Once the tempo slowed, La Salle established an offensive rhythm and pulled down 12 first-half defensive rebounds, holding Rhode Island to just eight points following its run.

In fact it was Brantley who ended Rhode Island’s run. But the biggest momentum shift came when Gill stole the ball and made a breakaway layup to tie the game, 25-25, with three minutes left in the half.

After a rally back-and-forth, Brantley gave Explorers fans something to celebrate with a deep three on the right side of the wing in the final seconds for a 36-31 lead heading into the locker room.

La Salle will head to Amherst, Mass., to take on UMass (10-5, 1-2) on Wednesday (7 p.m., ESPN+).