Rhode Island Starters
Hinton, Harper, Crawford, Corey, Itejere

Richmond Starters
Tyne, Johnston, Lopez, Thomas, Walz

How It Happened
RJ Johnson sank a jump shot with two seconds to go, lifting Rhode Island to a 69-68 victory at Richmond Wednesday night.

At times a rock fight, the game was close throughout. Neither side led by more than seven points, and both sides got hot in the final minutes to turn the game into a thriller. After Richmond (13-7, 3-4 A-10) missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 22.6 seconds left, Johnson made his game-winner with the clock winding down, giving the Rams (11-8, 2-4 A-10) their second straight road win in conference play.

Rhode Island trialed 61-55 with 7:10 to go before it started chipping away. Johnson got things started with a pair of free throws, and after a stop, Jonah Hinton hit a tough jumper to pull Rhody within two points. Richmond's Will Harper III went 1-of-2 at the line before Jalen Harper drove the lane for URI to make the score 62-61. Richmond's Jaden Daughtry sandwiched a pair of baskets around an RJ Johnson jumper to make it 66-63. A Tyler Cochran drive again made it a one-point game heading to the final two minutes.

Johnson came up with a steal to give Rhody a chance to take the lead, but Rhody turned it back over on its next possession. A jumper by Aidan Argabright (20 points) made the score 68-65, and things looked grim after an empty possession for Rhode Island.

After the defense forced a stop, Tyler Cochran bullied his way to the basket and earned a trip to the free throw line. He hit both free throws to get the Rams within one point. A foul sent Richmond's Will Johnston to the line for a 1-and-1 with 22 seconds left, and he missed the front end, setting up Johnson's big shot. Richmond was unable to get a shot off in the final two seconds, and Rhode Island secured the win.

Inside the Box Score

• Rhode Island had a big edge at the free throw line, going 20-for-26 as a team. Richmond was 11-for-19.
• Tyler Cochran was dealing with the flu and did not start for the first time this season. He delivered 18 points, seven rebounds and three steals in 29 minutes off the bench.
• Jahmere Tripp added 10 points off the bench, while RJ Johnson had nine.
• The teams' benches combined for 87 of the 137 points in the game.
• Keeyan Itejere had 10 points and eight rebounds.
• Myles Corey chipped in nine points and five boards.
• Freshman Jalen Harper made his first career start. He had five points and three rebounds while posting a plus-4 in 25 minutes.
• Richmond turned 11 Rhode Island turnovers into a 17-0 edge in points off turnovers in the first half. Rhody had no points off turnovers despite getting five steals and forcing six first-half turnovers.
• In the second half, Rhode Island had an 8-6 edge in points off turnovers.
• The Rams were dominant on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 38-28.

Up Next
Rhode Island is back at home to host George Mason Saturday, Jan. 24. Game time is 2 p.m. on ESPN+.