The victory was the first in five trips to Halton Arena for Fran Dunphy's club, which improved to 14-5 overall and 3-2 in the Atlantic 10. Charlotte fell to 10-9, 2-4.
A stingy defense keyed the early run, as the Owls held Charlotte without a field goal for the first 10 minutes and 20 seconds.
As the hosts were misfiring on their first 11 shots from the field, the Owls were getting open looks on nearly every possession against Charlotte's 2-3 zone. Temple connected on seven three-pointers in the first half, and converted Charlotte turnovers into easy buckets.
"I thought we defended well early," Dunphy said. "Communication was good. Everything was good. Any time you can start like we did, it helps."
The Owls shot 55 percent for the game, getting assists on 20 of their 29 field goals. Meanwhile, the defense limited Charlotte to just 32.7 percent shooting.
"We shot it well," Fernandez said. "But defense was the key."
The 49ers were without two key players: Freshman point guard Pierria Henry, who had started the first 18 games and ranked fifth in the nation averaging three steals per game, was out with a sprained MCL in his left knee, while junior forward KJ Sherrill was suspended for undisclosed reasons.
The absence of Henry, in particular, seemed to affect Charlotte, which seemed out of sync most of the game without its floor general.
"He affects the game," Dunphy said.
Added Major: "You lose a defender. You lose a guy that facilitates, distributes the ball. It also puts a pinch on depth."
Major said there would be no excuses. He said his team was simply outplayed by the Owls, who won their third straight.
