3 things to like, 3 to dislike about Mercer win

MACON, Ga. -- Three things I liked about the 49ers' 64-63 victory against Mercer on Thursday, Charlotte's third straight:

-- This is the kind of game Charlotte would have lost a month ago. The 49ers have discovered what it takes to win close games at the end (Wright State, Tennessee included). With Atlantic 10 play looming, that's a trait that will serve the 49ers well as the season progresses.

-- The 49ers found their shooting stroke, hitting a season-high 54.3 percent of their shots. Javarris Barnett was seven-of-nine, An'Juan Wilderness and Chris Braswell each three-of-four and Phil Jones four-of-seven. Only the guards, Derrio Green and Deuce Briscoe, struggled some, going a combined eight of 20. You get the sense though, that Green is rediscovering his touch.

-- The 49ers won with Briscoe having an off game. He was three of nine, missed all three of his 3-pointers, had more turnovers than assists (6 to 5) and missed much of the latter stages due to foul trouble.

Three things I didn't like:

-- Not only were those 22 turnovers a season high, but several were unforced. Green dribbled the ball off his foot -- under no pressure -- with Charlotte clinging to a 61-60 lead with 2:10 left.

-- Only six offensive rebounds. Enough said ...

-- ... But I'll say more. The game was made closer than it should have been when Mercer's Brian Mills slipped around Charlotte defenders and scored after a missed free throw with 18 seconds left. That cut the lead to 64-63. Never should have been that close had the 49ers been fundamentally sound there.

49ers set for 'Georgia Invitational'

49ers coach Alan Major has dubbed these next two games as the "Georgia Invitational." Charlotte plays Thursday at Mercer in Macon, Ga., and then Sunday at Georgia Tech.

Major came up with the name while flying home to Indianapolis for a few days at Christmas. "I guess that's what you do when you've got a little time on your hands," said Major.

Actually, Major wants his team to be in the mindset that it's in a mini-tournament (double elimination, apparently), with travel and hostile crowds involved, too.

Mercer is just 3-8, but had Georgia on the ropes recently, blowing an 11-point second half lead and losing 56-53.

This might not be a tournament, but it is a round robin. Mercer plays at Georgia Tech on Friday.

Remember, the Mercer-Charlotte game is at 2 p.m. I'll be on Twitter with updates throughout at @davidscott14.

Notes

-- 49ers freshman guard Luka Voncina won’t be with the team Thursday or for Sunday’s game at Georgia Tech. He’s spending the holiday break at home in Slovenia, where – folks in the 49ers athletics department hope – he will bring back some answers about why his high school transcript isn’t being accepted by the NCAA. Until that happens, Voncina will continue to be ineligible.


-- The 49ers are making 73.4 percent of their free throws, tops in the Atlantic 10. They’re also third in the league in 3-point defense (28.5 percent), fourth in 3s made per game (7.2) and fifth in defensive rebounding (26.1).

-- Charlotte has held five its last six opponents to 65 or fewer points.

49ers finding an identity

However this basketball season turns out, it's now becoming easier and easier to see how coach Alan Major is putting his stamp on the 49ers' basketball program.

It took 10 games to do it, but the 49ers have found their identity: They're a tough, make-no-excuses bunch that, at least for the time being, is doing whatever it takes to win.

As guard Derrio Green, whose 3-pointer gave the 49ers their winning points in a 57-53 victory against Wright State on Wednesday, put it: “...We fight every night. We do it in practice. We beat each other up. Before, we would lay down. But now we’ve drawn the line.”


This two-game winning streak is just that, a modest bit of success in the middle of a long season. But how the 49ers have won recently, especially given the tumultuous beginning of the season (the Shamari Spears drama, injuries, Luka Voncina's continuing eligibility problems), has given them something to hang on to.

Charlotte locked down Wright State in the second half with a tough zone defense, one that Raiders coach Billy Donlon said had as much to do with the 49ers' physical style as anything. They played through another night of long minutes by the starters.

Ten days ago, that kind of second-half performance wasn't there in a loss at Davidson. Maybe the 49ers had accepted their perceived shortcomings at that time. Or maybe they were still getting accustomed to how Major wants to play and what it will take for them to compete.

Wright State's Donlon, though, might have said it best when he talked about the 49ers' comeback against his Raiders: "That's the sign of something being built."

Sherrill gives frontcourt a different look

-- With K.J. Sherrill back, coach Alan Major described what kind of front court the 49ers have now.
With starting forward Shamari Spears kicked off the team, Charlotte’s front line was composed mainly of 6-8 forward Chris Braswell and 6-11 backup center Phil Jones. Undersized Javarris Barnett (6-7) and An’Juan Wilderness (6-6) were being asked to guard bigger players.

“He gives us another body in the post,” said Major. “Phil is your big, mass body. ‘Braz’ is our jack-of-all-trades, passing it, handling it and scoring around the rim. K.J. brings energy. He’s bouncing around there, flying around. He makes you feel good because he’s so active.”

-- The 49ers will briefly break for Christmas after Wednesday's game against Wright State. They return to campus Sunday to prepare for a five-day road trip in Georgia next week: at Mercer on Dec. 30 and at Georgia Tech on Jan. 2. The Yellow Jackets game is at 6 p.m., the same afternoon the Carolina Panthers play the Atlanta Falcons a few miles across town at the Georgia Dome at 1 p.m.

-- Halton Arena is the site of a day-night doubleheader Wednesday: Charlotte’s women play Maryland-Eastern Shore at noon (admission is free) and the men’s game against Wright State is free to kids 17 and under.

-- Major said the reason Braswell didn’t start against Tennessee was for a minor rules violation. He’ll be back in the starting lineup tonight ahead of Jones.

-- One final note from Major on the Tennessee victory: “Probably the most rewarding thing was for the guys to see that they’re capable of more than they think. I’m not saying we thought we were going to lose, but if you do things -- scouting, practicing hard, watching film, doing the day-to-day work, then you can earn your way into playing well.”

-- Quick baseball note: The signature trees that line the outfield outside Phillips Field are being replaced this week. The old ones -- which gave the stadium an intimate atmosphere -- were diseased. The new ones are much smaller, but they'll grow back -- sometime.

49ers' Tyler A-10 women's rookie of week

Charlotte's Gabby Tyler is the Atlantic 10 women's basketball rookie of the week.

Tyler, a freshman forward from Emporia, Va., scored 13 points and had seven rebounds in a 62-44 victory at Arkansas State on Sunday. Tyler was six-for-six from the field.

She's averaging 7.0 points per game and 4.1 rebounds and has 14 blocked shots this season, second on the team.

The 49ers (9-2) play Maryland-Eastern Shore on Wednesday at noon at Halton Arena.

-- Charlotte's baseball team is one of several "others receiving votes" in Collegiate Baseball magainze's preseason rankings.

Tennessee triumph a chance for momentum

Next up: Wright State. At Halton Arena. Next Wednesday with Charlotte's students on Christmas break.

Sorry for the buzzkill, but that's what's facing the 49ers after their scintillating and, frankly, inspiring 49-48 victory Friday against No. 7 Tennessee at Time Warner Cable Arena.

The atmosphere next Wednesday won't be anything like it was Friday. There won't be 8,419 fans at Halton (I'd love to be proven wrong, Niner Nation!) and the juices won't be flowing like they were against Tennessee.


But that's also what makes it a huge test for the 49ers, who now have the chance for some much-needed momentum as their Atlantic 10 season approaches three games hence. All three of those games -- Wright State, at Mercer on Dec. 30 and at Georgia Tech on Jan. 2 -- now appear to be quite winnable (even Georgia Tech of the unimposing ACC).

Beating Tennessee doesn't mean Charlotte is suddenly an A-10 contender, there are still too many holes to fill in what remains a depth-shy lineup. But Charlotte is going to need to win games like the one it's facing Wednesday against Wright State, which is 6-5 heading into a game Saturday against Miami (Ohio).

But the way Charlotte stood up to Tennessee in the second half -- when they've faltered several times this season already -- might mean the start of something good (as does the return of K.J. Sherrill). And of course, there's the question that can't be answered but is worth pondering nonetheless: Would Charlotte have won with Shamari Spears in the lineup?

"It's so hard to get the general public to understand what these guys go through," said coach Alan Major. "Sometimes it's hard to deal with expectations. Sometimes it's hard to remember that these are kids. But to understand what it takes to play at a high level and sustain it, that's what I'm most proud of. They played a full 40 minutes together."

Spears can keep scholarship

A few 49ers notes and thoughts:

-- Shamari Spears, who was thrown off the basketball team Tuesday, can keep his scholarship at Charlotte through the end of the 2010-11 school year. Whether he remains in school isn't known, but he's not going to eligible to play elsewhere. Athletes have five years to play four seasons, and this was Spears' fifth year (he played two seasons at Boston College and sat out one season at Charlotte per NCAA rules). Spears technically competed for his fourth and final season when he stepped on the court against S.C. State in November. He wouldn't qualify for any "hardship" redshirt status going forward.

-- I'm told that guard Luka Voncina -- who hasn't played this season because of eligibility issues -- is going home to Slovenia over the holidays and will try to get his credits issues with Charlotte straightened out with his high school there. He's got to do that before the NCAA will look at his case, so don't expect any kind of resolution soon.

-- K.J. Sherrill (knee) continues to practice with the team, but a decision whether he'll play Friday against Tennessee hasn't been made. He's got to practice in "contact" drills before coach Alan Major will allow him to play.

-- Elijah Carter, a point guard from Brewster (N.H.) Academy who's being recruited by the 49ers, has predictably expanded his list of potential colleges since not signing early in November. His coach, Jason Smith, says Carter is now also considering -- among others -- Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Oregon State, Butler and South Florida.

-- Spears' sister, Olivia Rankin of Salisbury High, is one of the 49ers' women's basketball team's recruits for next season. A spokesperson for the women's basketball team says Rankin's brother's suspension isn't expected to affect her decision to attend Charlotte.

-- Quick baseball note: Charlotte senior reliever Bryan Hamilton has been named a third-team preseason All-American by the Pro-Line Athletic National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Hamilton was 4-0 with two saves and a 2.01 ERA last season.