What we learned in Charlotte 49ers’ opening win vs. Indiana State basketball

Victory celebrations came few and far between for Aaron Fearne and the Charlotte 49ers last season, but Monday night’s season-opener showed promise for this year’s new crop of talent.

Leading by double digits for much of the night, Fearne’s group looked much improved from the last time we saw them in March, running past Indiana State on their way to a 92-76 victory at Halton Arena.

It wasn’t the low-scoring, slow-paced Fearne offense we’re used to seeing over his two seasons as head coach. Returning just four players from last season, the 2025-26 Charlotte squad was bound to look different.

And it was night and day on Monday night. Charlotte saw five score in double figures, just one of whom was on the roster last season — Ben Bradford, who led the team with a career-best 31 points.

Charlotte cleared its bench with just over two minutes to play, tipping off a three-game homestand with an entertaining victory, shooting nearly 50% from the field, 48% from beyond the arc, and dominating the glass, outrebounding the Sycamores by 20.

Here are three things we learned in the Charlotte 49ers’ men’s basketball season-opening win.

Ben Bradford’s jump in Year 2

It was just one game, but Bradford put his name in the hat for most improved player in the American Conference on Monday night, scoring at will from all three levels, on his way to a career-best 31 points.

Last season, Bradford averaged just 2.5 points per game and scored a career-best 13 points — his only game in double figures as a freshman.

“I thought Ben had a sensational off-season. He’s made some gigantic improvements. It’s been impressive to see,” Fearne said of Bradford. “He’s added a lot of tools to his big. His perimeter shooting is really improved. He’s very determined, and he’s worked on his body.

“I remember a year ago, when he came as a freshman. He came as a late addition,” Fearne continued. “We weren’t really expecting a lot. He was just grateful to be at a Division I program. He didn’t have many options, and now he’s stormed to the front of the line.”

On the fringes of Fearne’s rotation, on what was a struggling basketball team (11-22 last season), Bradford played just over eight minutes per game — and never cracked 20 minutes, with a season-high of 19.

His 3-point percentage was even less, at 15.4%. But Bradford didn’t shoot it like a sub-20% three-point shooter on Monday night, lighting it up from beyond the arc, connecting on four of his six attempts.

Bradford did it all, getting downhill, drawing contact, and stepping up to the free-throw line a team-high nine times. With Nik Graves hitting the transfer portal, Fearne knew he’d need a new go-to scorer, and he may have found that and more in the 6-foot-5 guard from Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Anton Bonke is the center 49ers need

It didn’t take long for 7-foot-2 center Anton Bonke to introduce himself to the Charlotte fans. Six seconds, to be exact, winning the tip and immediately catching an alley-oop slam on the feed from Bradford.

But it wasn’t just the size down low that helped the 49ers — Bonke did it from all three levels. He drilled his first four shots, featuring dunks, layups, and a deep 3-point attempt to push Charlotte’s lead to double digits in the first half, where the 49ers would cruise for much of the night.

Bonke finished the night 4 of 5 from the field, collecting a game-high 14 rebounds (three offensive) and staying out of foul trouble (just two fouls). The foul trouble piece will be huge this season for Charlotte, which needs the 7-footer’s rim protection and defensive presence in the lane.

“We’re doing some stuff differently on the offensive end, but the ball will go through the (center) a lot. We’re playing faster,” said Fearne. “This year we’re a lot bigger. (Giancarlo Rosado) was skilled, but maybe didn’t have enough size. A lot of them haven’t had big roles where they’ve been (prior), but they’ll get more comfortable. We can play above the rim, and we can power inside. We couldn’t rebound well enough, and we couldn’t protect the rim. Now, there’s a bit of a wall back there.”

Charlotte looked much different with Bonke on the bench, reflected in a game-high plus-22 plus-minus. Whether it was setting screens, setting up his teammates with good passes (just one assist, multiple hockey assists), or setting the table on the secondary break, Bonke was effective with and without the ball in his hands.

Even without a block in the box score, his size in the lane played a factor as a deterrent, and he’ll be relied on heavily on the defensive end all season.

Breaking down Charlotte’s offense

Despite the fast start and a run that consisted of making 10 of 11 field goals, the 49ers’ offense still had its droughts under Fearne, a trend that dates back to the days of Ron Sanchez. This time, it was closing the first half, where Charlotte led a 17-point lead dwindle to just eight points at the break — surrendering a 9-0 run and failing to score for nearly four straight minutes to close the first half.

But every time the Sycamores got back in the game, Charlotte put the pedal down and distanced itself from the visitors. The 49ers led for nearly 35 minutes of the 40-minute game, despite scoring just seven points from their bench, which appears to be a problem that continues from last season.

The guard combo of Dezayne Mingo (Marshall) and Major Freeman (Siena) combined for 34 points in the win, pushing the pace and shooting an efficient 57% from the field. As Fearne mixes and matches this lineup through the non-conference, which is typically an experimental time, expect to see those two stagger to provide that scoring pop off the bench.

This Charlotte team looked significantly better than the previous iteration, and Fearne has proven he can win despite replacing his top players, which has become an annual routine for the 49ers and most mid-majors.

The 49ers host Tennessee Tech on Friday night before hosting the Davidson Wildcats in a rivalry matchup on Nov. 11.

“That rivalry is always great. I want to play (Davidson) twice a year. Home and home every year,” Fearne said of the matchup with the Wildcats. “I think it would be great for the rivalry, and it’s an easy game to schedule. It’s easy travel for the fan base.”

This story was originally published November 3, 2025 at 10:52 PM.