Observations from Charlotte 49ers' victory over North Texas

Observations from the Charlotte 49ers' 76-74 victory against North Texas on Saturday:

-- Charlotte (12-5, 3-1) went 2-0 on this brief home stand is tied for third in Conference USA with UTEP and Tulsa, two teams the 49ers have already beaten. Big challenge coming Thursday at Louisiana Tech (13-3, 3-0), which can take over sole possession of first place in the league with a win against Southern Miss on Sunday.

-- Both victories (Thursday's against Tulsa went to overtime) were exciting and memorable -- but not the kind of games the 49ers want to keep playing. They were down eight points late in both games until big plays by Pierria Henry bailed them out. Coach Alan Major said Saturday he has complete faith in Henry's decision-making and ability to execute in those late situations -- going to the basket on three straight possessions to force OT against Tulsa and his dish to Terrence Williams for a game-winning dunk Saturday.

"The big thing is we want the guys to capture that level of intensity from tip to buzzer," said Major. "When you have that, you have the chance to play with a lot of people."

-- North Texas led by 11 with 13 minutes left when Major called for a 1-3-1 zone that completely threw the Mean Green out of its offense. North Texas scored just two points in the final 4:31.

"We wanted to see if they could handle it," said Major. "We got a few buckets and turnovers out of it."

-- Free throw shooting should be a source of concern for Major. After missing 20 against Tulsa (going 22-of-42), his team was 11-of-19 against the Mean Green. That's 33-of-61 (54 percent) over two games.