Following James Bell’s lead, Villanova raced out to a 25-7 advantage in front of 28,135 mostly dumbfounded Syracuse fans — the Carrier Dome’s largest crowd of the season.

Just 27 seconds into the game Bell opened the scoring with a 3 from the top of the key over a lunging Tyler Ennis, then hit two more in succession four minutes later.

“He has a quick release,” Ennis said. “They were setting a lot of screens for him and he was finding the open shots in the zone, and he was making them, too.”

Those were the last jump shots Bell would hit until the second half, but his smooth stroke kept the Wildcats afloat for nearly 35 minutes until their upset hopes were extinguished late in the second half. In No. 8 Villanova’s (11-1) eventual 78-62 loss to No. 2 Syracuse (12-0), Bell scored a game-high 25 points while sinking 6-of-12 3-point attempts.

Bell fouled out with 1:42 left and walked with his head down past Villanova head coach Jay Wright, and to the end of the Wildcats bench. At that point, his team trailed by nine, and without him, its chances at a comeback seemed bleak.

“A guy like Bell is the toughest type of player to cover in the 2-3,” Syracuse guard Trevor Cooney said. “He took advantage of us early but we forced him to take some tougher shots later on.”

With perimeter threats in Darrun Hilliard, Ryan Arcidiacano and sixth man Josh Hart, Syracuse’s zone was busy closing out on shooters all afternoon. But when Bell caught the ball, especially after his quick start, Ennis, Cooney and the wings of SU’s zone desperately scrambled in front of him.

Just over two minutes into the second half Bell caught the ball on the right wing. Both Ennis and forward Jerami Grant hurried to him, which left JayVaughn Pinkston wide open for three in the corner. Pinkston missed and the Orange succeeded in keeping the ball out of Bell’s hands.

“He was really able to move and get open shots so it was tough to guard him,” Syracuse center Baye Moussa Keita said. “But I think we made good adjustments in the second half on him.”

There still were moments that Bell went briefly unnoticed and was able to get off his shot. With 3:26 left in the game and the Wildcats trailing by eight, Bell hit a contested 3 that cut SU’s lead to 64-59.

Even with little space, Bell used a small crack in the Syracuse defense to inch the Wildcats closer.

But 1:44 later, Bell was walking with his head down, five fouls running through his head.

Cooney, who knows how lethal a sharpshooter can be, admitted to being more comfortable without Bell on the floor.

Said Cooney: “He was the one making all the shots and when a guy like that fouls out it definitely takes their team down a little bit.”

Published on December 28, 2013 at 8:40 pm

Contact Jesse: jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse