Observations from Wednesday's win at Richmond

-With two players now missing from the season-opening roster, Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz used his bench extensively Wednesday. Reserves Gokhan Sirin and Javarris Barnett who have not seen a much first-half action so far this season, both played at least five minutes and both knocked down a 3-pointer as Charlotte closed the half with a 15-3 run.
Barnett continued to see action in the second half, scoring seven points and adding five more rebounds to finish with his first career double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds).

-Forward Shamari Spears was battling a head cold but it didn’t seem to slow him down. He finished with 12 points in the first half on 5-of-10 shooting. He ended the night with 20 points, five rebounds and two assists.

-Point guard DiJuan Harris has had a stellar career at Charlotte but until Wednesday night he had never beaten Richmond in his two-plus seasons with the 49ers. “Every win is big, but it’s good to beat Richmond – finally,” he said.

-Charlotte senior RaShad Coleman is scheduled to undergo surgery today to repair a season-ending kneecap injury he suffered in the 49ers’ 63-61 overtime win Sunday over Saint Louis. Coleman scored on a breakaway layup in OT – his only basket of the game – and fell to the ground clutching his left knee.

-Some of the cheers from fans for the halftime mascot basketball game were louder than the Spiders got during the game, especially after they fumbled away a seven-point first-half lead.