Observations from Tuesday's win over Mercer

-While Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz has maintained he could change his starting lineup at any time, he had preferred to keep it the same for eight straight games. On Tuesday night, he made a change, electing to go with forward An’Juan Wilderness – a starter last season – over Charles Dewhurst. Wilderness missed the first seven games of the year with a calf injury. He finished the game with nine points and five rebounds.

- This was not a good sign for the 49ers: Starting point guard DiJuan Harris picked up his third foul of the game with seven minutes, 51 seconds remaining in the first half. Given the importance Harris is to Charlotte’s transition game, his absence made for major adjustments.

- Charlotte’s outside shooting struggles continued Tuesday. The 49ers missed their first seven 3-pointers until Ian Andersen hit one from just right of the key with 4:38 left in the first half. Freshman 6-8 forward Gokhan Sirin, a long-range shooter, even saw some first-half minutes as Lutz search for a shooter to find his range.

- The 49ers held Mercer’s high-scoring guard James Florence in check in the first half, but guard E.J. Kusnyer did plenty of damage for the Bears, making 3-of-5 3-pointers. In the second half, Florence scored 16 while Kusnyer was virtually shut down (three points).

- New York Mets pitcher and Charlotte alum John Maine was on hand for Tuesday night's game.