CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- There's something about games against top 10 opponents that makes Charlotte play just a little bit harder than usual.
Curtis Withers scored 23 points, including two free throws with 30 seconds left, to help the 49ers beat their third top 10 team of the season with a 77-71 victory over No. 9 Louisville on Thursday night.
Charlotte (15-5, 7-2 Conference USA) also won at then-No. 7 Syracuse and then-No. 8 Cincinnati, but needs more victories over quality opponents to strengthen its case for an NCAA Tournament bid. The 49ers have a habit of losing games they should win -- such as home contests against George Washington and UAB.
"I guess the exposure makes us go harder against the bigger teams," Withers said. "We've lost some games we shouldn't have and those are learning lessons. We try to turn it up against the big teams."
The 49ers have won four straight games, but this was their first big win at home and the students stormed the court to celebrate.
Afterward, Louisville coach Rick Pitino said the practice of rushing the court needs to be examined.
"Something has to be done about security," he said. "Our players almost got trampled. If people want to run on the court, fine, but jumping over people ... security has got to be better."
It was just one issue Pitino addressed: He also denied speculation he might be interested in coaching at St. John's.
"I will say it one more time because this is the 101st time I have said it: I am ending my coaching career at the University of Louisville," he said. "The train stopped a long time for me."
Louisville (17-4, 7-3) lost for the third time in four games and blew a 12-point lead, partly because Luke Whitehead, Francisco Garcia and Nate Daniels played most of the second half with four fouls each.
Charlotte used an 11-0 run to pull back into the game with 5:34 to play, but it still wasn't decided until a frantic final minute.
Withers gave the 49ers their first lead of the second half, 67-66, on a jumper with 1:42 to go, and Louisville regained the lead on Garcia's basket.
Then Brendan Plavich, having a horrendous shooting night, finally converted a 3-point attempt to put Charlotte up 70-68 with 56 seconds to go. Garcia calmly answered with his own 3 for Louisville to put the Cardinals back up, but Mitchell Baldwin responded by going coast-to-coast for a layup that drew a foul.
"Baldwin has great speed and we were in foul trouble," Pitino said. "We just made very poor defensive plays and we've been a very good defensive team. And I'm talking about simple recognition plays."
Baldwin missed the free throw after his layup, but Withers got the rebound and was fouled. He made both free throws to put Charlotte up 74-71. Louisville turned the ball over on the rest of its possessions.
Baldwin had a superb game while filling in for senior guard Demon Brown, Charlotte's second-leading scorer at 12.6 points per game. He served a one-game suspension stemming from his arrest for allegedly communicating threats against three people.
Baldwin finished with 13 points, six assists, two steals and one turnover while playing all 40 minutes.
"I call him the fastest man on the planet," Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz said. "He got a little tired, but he made huge plays and I couldn't be happier for him."
Baldwin said he prepared for Louisville's press all week, and was surprised the Cardinals gave him as much freedom as they did,
"They didn't press us that much, not as much as I thought they would," he said. "That gave me a lot of opportunities."
Plavich finished with 12 points on 4-for-12 shooting from 3-point range. Eddie Basden scored all 10 of his points in the second half -- including five straight at the start of the period.
Larry O'Bannon led Louisville with 17 points, and Daniels finished with 11.
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