CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Curtis Withers scored 21 points, including the 1,000th of his career, as Charlotte beat Houston 91-71 Wednesday.
Eddie Basden added 19 points and five steals, becoming Conference USA's all-time steals leader. Brendan Plavich hit six 3-pointers and added 18 points, as the 49ers won their seventh straight home game.
Trailing 47-45 with 13:45 left, the 49ers went on a 17-1 run, capped off by Basden's 3-pointer with 7:10 left, to improve to 10-1 all-time against the Cougars.
Chris Lawson tied a career-high with 18 points, while Brian Latham added 15 for Houston (14-10, 5-5), which went more than seven minutes without a field goal during the decisive spurt.
Charlotte (16-4, 7-2) shot 59 percent as it took advantage of its height advantage for several easy baskets inside.
The 49ers moved within a half-game of first-place Louisville, which lost at home to Memphis Wednesday.
Withers, who added four rebounds and three blocks, became the 19th player in school history to score 1,000 points when he hit the second of two free throws just over a minute into the game.
Basden helped hold Houston's top scorer, Andre Owens, to 7 points, 11 points below his average. He now has 236 career steals. Cedric Smith of South Florida held the old league record of 231.
