You’ve read the recap. Now, let’s dive inside the numbers of Charlotte’s — at times — slog of a victory over Maryland-Eastern Shore Thursday night.

(Note:  Thursday’s press availability was quite short — understandably — so this will not include as many referential quotes as normal.)

  • Even in areas where its offense may have struggled a bit, Charlotte’s defense locked down UMES for the virtual entirety of the contest. Charlotte coach Ron Sanchez remarked in the presser that they didn’t close out the game as he would have liked, then mentioned that his club only got stops on two of the final 10 possessions. The game was well out of hand by that point, however. UMES hit just 5-of-28 shots (17.9 percent) in the first half, then hit one of the next nine and three of the next 13 before knocking down six of its final nine tries. The Hawks went 7:17 without a bucket in the second half, coming off bucketless strings of 4:28 and 6:16 in the first period.
  • Charlotte again notched double-digit steals, pulling 14 pilfers. This led the 49ers’ per-game average to nearly nine, which is a significant number. After forcing 19 turnovers from Valparaiso — a team with a plus-three turnover margin — Monday, the 49ers procured 16 UMES miscues.
  • The 49ers’ fervor for rebounding again showed Thursday, as the home club enjoyed a 10-rebound advantage on the glass over UMES. Both sides snared eight offensive boards, but forward Amidou Bamba (11 caroms) helped key the Charlotte margin.
  • Charlotte also continues to improve in the realm of defending without fouling. The 49ers drew just 11 whistles on the night, compared to UMES’ 21. This signifies that Charlotte’s adherence to both the scout and the pack-line principles installed by Sanchez and his staff is sticking, even if only on a game-to-game basis. The numbers also show that the 49ers did a solid job of contesting on the catch with high hands on three-point attempts, as well, as 56 percent of UMES’ field tries came from distance, with just 21.4 percent of those (6-of-28) finding the net. Three of those makes came in the final 3:54, when Charlotte’s reserves were on the floor.
  • On the note of reserves, Sanchez opined on the benefits of being able to get some of his reserves some time on the floor to “grow” as players, and of getting footage to show them “with the lights on” to help teach. As I mentioned in the game story, 13 49ers saw game action, with 10 of those scoring. Redshirt freshman Tyler Bertram notched his first points as a 49er, knocking down two free throws. Bertram is 0-for-13 from the deck this season (0-for-12 from three), but has had a number of good looks circle out. His 16 minutes of play Thursday produced a steal and some solid defensive play, which may prove beneficial to his club as the season progresses.
  • One thing that won’t show up in the stats at all — though it merits some display in film review — came from freshman Charlotte forward Brice Williams. The 6-foot-7 Williams sprawled to attempt to save a loose ball in front of his bench, with his team leading by 30. Sanchez has said on many occasions — including Thursday — that hard play is the expected standard, but that play earned a congratulatory pat on the back and expression from the 49ers’ leader.
  • Finally, the Hustle Stats:
    • Points in the Paint:  Charlotte 26, UMES 12
    • Points off Turnovers:  Charlotte 20, UMES 14
    • Second-Chance Points:  Charlotte 7, UMES 3
    • Fast-Break Points:  Charlotte 8, UMES 2
    • Bench Points:  UMES 23, Charlotte 19

CHARLOTTE 66, MARYLAND-EASTERN SHORE 44

UMES (1-12): Gyamfi 1-2 0-0 2, Prevost 1-2 0-0 2, Bartley 2-6 2-2 6, Phillip 2-9 0-3 5, Anderson 2-4 0-0 6, Cheeseman 0-6 2-2 2, Adams 3-8 0-0 8, Gibson 1-6 4-4 7, Frost 0-5 0-0 0, Guy 1-1 0-2 2, McIntosh 1-1 2-2 4. Totals 14-50 10-15 44.

CHARLOTTE (6-4): Bamba 1-2 0-0 2, Young 4-7 0-0 10, Martin 3-5 1-2 8, Shepherd 6-14 7-9 20, Edwards 1-4 4-4 7, Williams 1-4 0-2 2, Supica 2-3 5-7 9, Robb 0-4 0-0 0, Blight 0-0 0-0 0, Younger 1-2 1-2 4, Bertram 0-2 2-2 2, Rissetto 0-0 0-0 0, Vasic 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 19-47 22-30 66.

Halftime — Charlotte 31-13. 3-Point Goals—UMES 6-28 (Gyamfi 0-1, Bartley 0-2, Phillip 1-8, Anderson 2-3, Cheeseman 0-1, Adams 2-4, Gibson 1-6, Frost 0-3), Charlotte 6-19 (Young 2-4, Martin 1-3, Shepherd 1-3, Williams 0-1, Robb 0-2, Younger 1-1, Bertram 0-2). Fouled Out — NA. Rebounds — Charlotte 39 (Bamba 11), UMES 29 (Phillip 7). Assists —Charlotte 12 (Bamba 3), UMES 8 (Gibson 4). Total Fouls — UMES 21, Charlotte 11. Technical — NA. A —2580.