La Salle celebrates a win in its home opener behind Khalil Brantley’s 22-point performance

Hassan Drame cracked a grin, looked at his point guard, Khalil Brantley, and twirled his hand in a circular motion. He did it as if to encourage some momentum for La Salle midway through the second half.

Wagner just cut its deficit to five after trailing the Explorers by as much as 16. Drame’s hand gesture was the tipping point before fending off a comeback, eventually leading to La Salle’s first win of the season, 77-69, in its home opener.

“We said something like, ‘Three stops equals one kill,’ ” Brantley said postgame. “As many three stops that we can get, that’s what was going to determine the game.”

Brantley was La Salle’s 6-foot-1 maestro, controlling the tempo and orchestrating what was a potent Explorers attack for much of the afternoon. He finished with 22 points and six assists. Josh Nickelberry added 20 while La Salle (1-1) received double-figure scoring outings from both Drame brothers, Fousseyni with 12 points and Hassan with 11.

Wagner (1-1) was paced by 20 points from Zaire Williams and 19 from Keyontae Lewis. Lewis and Brandon Brown tied for a game-high nine rebounds apiece.

La Salle would punch first, applying pressure at both ends of the floor. The Seahawks were held to a mere two points through the game’s first five minutes as the Explorers opened with a 9-2 lead.

Wagner’s biggest hitch? It tried to play a physical, half-court style of basketball – albeit unsuccessfully — as La Salle seemingly converted every rebound or steal into transition opportunities.

In all, the Explorers totaled 10 fastbreak points and six steals.

“When you have a guy like Brantley, you’re not going to slow him down,” said Explorers head coach Fran Dunphy. “Do I want to play that fast all the time? No, but we got leads … We got to be truly adept at running a good offense, being a much better defensive basketball team.”

Wagner’s 9-0 run to open the second half was the first sign of life from the Seahawks, sparked by a pair of threes from Williams and Rahmir Moore.

The Seahawks scratched and clawed. But when La Salle junior guard Jhamir Brickus forced a turnover that led to a Delonnie Hunt technical foul at the 13-minute mark of the second half, the momentum turned entirely.

A saved ball flying out of bounds found the hands of Brantley, who steered toward the basket. When his eyes went toward the rim, the ball went to Anwar Gill for a corner three, making it 51-40, eliciting a standing ovation from a packed Tom Gola Arena.

Three minutes later, Wagner coach Donald Copeland was charged with the team’s second technical after spiking a piece of paper in frustration.

La Salle will host Queens (N.C.) University in round-robin play of the Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic beginning Tuesday (7 p.m., ESPN+). The Explorers then head to Montego Bay, Jamaica to face Wake Forest then either Loyola Marymount or Georgetown.