Atlantic City, NJ -- (Sports Network) - Michael Gerrity drained a pair of free throws with less than a second left to play, giving the sixth-seeded Charlotte 49ers a 75-73 victory over the 11th-seeded Rhode Island Rams in opening round action of the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament at Boardwalk Hall.

Leemire Goldwire scored 23 points to lead Charlotte (19-12) in the victory, while An'Juan Wilderness and Charlie Coley tallied 14 and 11 points, respectively. Coley also grabbed nine boards, and Gerrity finished with 10 points for the 49ers.

Jimmy Baron posted a game-high 25 points to pace Rhode Island (21-11), while Will Daniels netted 15 points to go with five rebounds in the losing effort. Parfait Bitee chipped in 10 points and dished out six assists for the Rams.

Rhode Island shot 46.2 percent from the floor during the first period, opening a 37-32 lead at the half.

The 49ers fought back during the second stanza, converting a red-hot 62.5 percent of their attempts from the field to put themselves in position for the win. Following a questionable foul call with under a second remaining, Gerrity nailed two free throws for the victory.

Charlotte advances to face third-seeded Massachusetts in the quarterfinals on Thursday.