49ers basketball 3 weeks into practice

The 49ers completed their 21^st day of preseason men’s basketball practice Tuesday. A few notes and observations after coach Alan Major met with the media:

-- Sounds like the 49ers will be without guards Denzel Ingram (foot) and Ivan Benkovic (back) for the season opener Nov. 8 against East Tennessee State. Major hopes they’ll be back by mid-November or earlier, which means they could also miss the College of Charleston game Nov. 12. The 49ers also play Elon on Nov. 15 before heading to a tournament in Puerto Rico Nov. 21-24.

-- Major hopes this 49ers team will be more potent from the 3-point line than last season, when Charlotte made just 26.8 percent of its long-range shots. Ivan Benkovic became a threat from behind the line late in the season, making 40.4 of his 3-pointers. There’s also the addition of transfer Ben Cherry (a 50 percent 3-point shooter at Tulane last season) and sophomore Shawn Lester (academically ineligible last season), as well as anticipated improvement from Ingram (27.9 percent).

-- Inexperience in the front court will be the 49ers’ biggest question mark. Either sophomore Mike Thorne or true freshman Marcus Bryan could start alongside Willie Clayton, coming off an all-Atlantic 10 rookie team season.

"We’ve got a chance to get contributions from different guys,” said Major. “They key is the younger they are and the more clock/game time they get, that’ll let the game teach them. Us coaching them and video is one thing, but getting in the game is key.”

C-USA announces 9-bowl lineup

Conference USA made official its nine football bowl affiliations through the 2019 season on Monday.

The Charlotte 49ers begin play in the Football Bowl Subdivision's C-USA in 2015 and will be bowl eligible in 2016.

The league's new bowls are the Bahamas Bowl, Miami Beach Bowl an the Boca Raton Bowl. C-USA already has agreements with the Beef O'Brady Bowl (St. Petersburg, Fla.), the Heart of Dallas Bowl, the New Mexico Bowl and the Hawaii Bowl. The league has secondary agreements with the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, Texas) and the AdvoCare V100 Bowl in Shreveport, La.

"Our future bowl line-up is truly amazing,” C-USA commissioner Britton Banowsky said in a statement. “We have been fortunate to partner with great bowls in the past. In addition to the bowls within our members’ footprint, fans also have some tremendous destinations to see their favorite teams play.”

C-USA teams will face opposition from the American Athletic, Big 12, Big Ten, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt conferences.

Here's a look at each bowl (thanks to the league office):

The Bahamas Bowl will join the bowl line-up in 2014 as the only postseason college football game outside of the United States. The inaugural game will be held in the new Thomas A. Robinson Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas. Conference USA expects to face a team from the Mid-American Conference in 2015, the American Athletic Conference in 2018 and the Sun Belt Conference in 2019.

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl began in 2008 and has had a Conference USA participant since its inception, and has been victorious the past two seasons. This bowl is owned and operated by ESPN and held prior to Christmas each year at Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays. C-USA will meet a team from the American Athletic Conference a minimum of three years.

The Boca Raton Bowl will be played in FAU Stadium on the campus of C-USA member Florida Atlantic University. It is the newest bowl announced that will be run by ESPN. The league will send a team to a minimum of four Boca Raton Bowls, beginning in 2014 against the Mid-American Conference. C-USA will face a member of the American Athletic Conference in later years.

Conference USA will enter its first-year as a primary partner with the Gildan New Mexico Bowl and will send a team to Albuquerque all six years between 2014 and 2019. C-USA will face a representative from the Mountain West Conference each season at University Stadium on the campus of the University of New Mexico.

The Heart of Dallas Bowl presented by PlainsCapital Bank was established in 2012 with the unique
perspective of creating an event that will give back to its community. The Heart of Dallas is a non-profit dedicated to supporting causes in the Dallas area, using sports and entertainment as a vehicle to help gain awareness. Conference USA expects to play in the bowl six years and will alternate opponents from the Big Ten and Big 12 as teams meet in the historic Cotton Bowl Stadium.

The Miami Beach Bowl will also host its first game during the 2014 season, with Conference USA expected to face a team from the American Athletic Conference in 2014 and 2015. The American will own and operate the Miami Beach Bowl, which will be held at Marlins Park – the home of Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins. Marlins Park is located on the former site of the historic Orange Bowl Stadium in Miami. Conference USA will play in the bowl a minimum of three years.

The R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl has hosted a Conference USA team nine times during its 12-year history, with a current C-USA team winning six of those 12 bowls. The game will continue to be played at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. C-USA is scheduled to be involved in three games over the next six years.

C-USA also resumes its long-term partnership with the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl to play in the annual
Christmas Eve game. A C-USA team has participated in, and won, the last four games in Honolulu. Following a 2013 meeting with a Mountain West team, the two conferences will square off again at Aloha Stadium in 2014, 2016 and 2018.

Conference USA enters a new secondary partnership with the AdvoCare V100 Bowl, played at
Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La. C-USA will provide a surplus team to the bowl in the event the Southeastern Conference or Atlantic Coast Conference are unable to provide a team.

Final: Charleston Southern 36, Charlotte 14

CHARLESTON -- Charleston Southern unleashed a brutal running game on Saturday and wore down the Charlotte 49ers on the way to a 36-14 victory at Buccaneers Field.

The Bucs (8-1), ranked 24th in the FCS coaches poll, gained 375 on the ground, led by Christian Reyes, who had 181 yards on 26 carries.

The 49ers (4-4) trailed 21-14 early in the fourth quarter, and appeared to get a break when they recover a Bucs fumble at the Charlotte 3. But 49ers running back Alan Barnwell was tackled in the end zone for a safety, and although the 49ers' Damarrell Alexander recovered the ensuing free kick, the momentum had fully shifted to Charleston Southern.

The 49ers turned the ball over twice later in the fourth quarter on an interception thrown by quarterback Matt Johnson and a fumble by Barnwell. Both turnovers led to Charleston Southern touchdowns.

Johnson was Charlotte's leading rusher with 47 yards on 13 carries. He also complete 16 of 31 passes for 183 yards, but no touchdowns. Trent Bostick caught five passes for 114 yards and Austin Duke caught six for 57 yards.

The 49ers return to the coast next week with a game against sixth-ranked Coastal Carolina.

3rd quarter update: Charleston Southern 21, Charlotte 14

Charleston Southern is threatening on the Charlotte 1 as the third quarter ends with the Bucs leading 21-14.

Charleston Southern scored on the opening drive of the second half, going 58 yards on 10 plays and getting a 14-yard scoring pass from Daniel Croghan to Chris Theodore.

The 49ers answered when freshman Khalif Phillips scored on a 14-yard run.

Halftime update: Charleston Southern 15, Charlotte 49ers 7

Charleston Southern scored twice in the second quarter to take a 15-7 lead at halftime.

The Bucs got a 3-yard run from quarterback Kyle Copeland and a 39-yard pass from Daniel Croghan to go ahead. Copeland scored on a two-point conversion after his touchdown.

The Buccaneers' Christian Reyes has 125 yards rushing at halftime and CSU has outgained the 49erss 302-170 in total yardage. But a fumble and two missed field goals by the Bucs' Mark Deboy have helped keep it close for Charlotte.

Trent Bostick has four catches for 88 yards for Charlotte, while Austin Duke has four receptions for 48 yards.

The 49ers have struggle with their run game, with quarterback Matt Johnson rushing eight times for 20 yards.

1st quarter update: Charlotte 49ers 7, Charleston Southern 0

The 49ers lead Charleston Southern 7-0 after the first quarter.

Charlotte got a 7-yard touchdown run from true freshman Khalif Phillips. The touchdown was set up by an option pass after Corey Nesmith took a pass from quarterback Matt Johnson and Trent Bostick on a 39-yar pass behind the Buccaneers defense.

Charlotte was helped by two missed field goals by the Bucs' Mark Deboy, who was wide left on attempts from 35 and 29 yards.

Charlotte 49ers host No. 23 Clemson in men's soccer

The 49ers men's soccer team gets a crack at a nationally ranked ACC opponent Tuesday when Clemson comes to Transamerica Field.

Gametime is 7 p.m. against the Tigers (9-3-2),  ranked 23rd in Soccer America's poll this week.

The 49ers (5-5-3) are coming off a 1-0 Conference USA victory against Kentucky on Saturday. Giuseppe Gentile (5 goals, 2 assists) and Kyle Parker (4 goals, 2 assists) lead Charlotte.

The Tigers, who beat Pittsburgh 2-0 last Friday, are led by Thomas McNamara, who is third in the ACC with seven goals.

Clemson leads the overall series 9-4-3. Charlotte won the last meeting 3-1 in 2011 at Clemson.