NEW ORLEANS -- Eddie Basden followed his coach's instructions and went to the basket early and often.
The result: Basden scored a season-high 27 points, leading No. 23 Charlotte to an 86-67 victory over Tulane on Saturday night.
"My coach told me to take the ball to the basket and I would get fouled," said Basden, who made all nine of his free throws. "I attacked early and took advantage of my match-up by going to the basket."
The 49ers (19-4, 10-2 Conference USA) won their fifth straight game to tie No. 12 Louisville for first place in the conference. The Green Wave (9-14, 3-9) lost their fourth in five games.
Curtis Withers scored 26 points to match his average over the last four games. Brendan Plavich scored 14.
"We're playing very well right now," Charlotte head coach Bobby Lutz said. "We're showing our versatility, we're being unselfish and we're playing with a lot of confidence.
"We like our balance. We have three guys who are veterans players and scorers and they do a good job of playing off of each other."
Quincy Davis led Tulane with 14 points, Taylor Rochestie scored 12 and Matt Wheaton had 11.
The 49ers forced 21 turnovers, leading to 26 points. They outrebounded Tulane, 42-37, including 26-15 in the first half.
Basden had 16 points and eight rebounds as Charlotte opened a 49-27 halftime lead. The 49ers built the lead to as many as 25 in the second half and never led by fewer than 17 points after halftime.
"We allowed too many second chances," said Green Wave coach Shawn Finney, whose team allowed 20 second-chance points. "They were really aggressive on the boards and we can't allow that. In the first half they got us playing faster than what we wanted."
Basden, who averages 15 points, scored 23 in a 76-66 victory at Marquette on Jan. 22 for his previous season high.
Wheaton and Rochestie each made a 3-pointer as Tulane stayed close in the early going, leading twice and being tied at 12. But Basden started scoring inside and Charlotte kept forcing turnovers.
Basden made two layups during a 7-0 run that helped the 49ers take a 21-18 lead. Plavich made consecutive 3-pointers as Charlotte seized control with a 16-2 surge to take a 37-20 lead.
Donnie Stith made a free throw and Wheaton hit another 3-pointer for the Green Wave, but the 49ers closed the half with a 12-3 run as Plavich made two more 3s and Basden scored six points.
