Lamont Mack had 19 points and Charlie Coley 11 for the 49ers (15-12, 6-7), who hit on only 22 of 70 shots (31.4 percent) in suffering their first double-digit loss of the season.
With Temple leading 37-32 three minutes into the second half, Christmas scored five quick points to start a 14-4 run, giving the Owls a 51-36 lead with 11:50 to play. From that point on, Charlotte never got closer than 11 points.
Charlotte's leading scorer, senior guard Leemire Goldwire, averaging 18.9 points, had a career-low 3 points, making only 1 of 9 field goal attempts in 26 minutes along with a free throw.
