No. 2 Syracuse 78, No. 11 Villanova 62: Trevor Cooney made five 3-pointers en route to 21 points as the host Orange defeated their former Big East rival to remain unbeaten.

Syracuse (12-0) overcame an early 18-point deficit thanks in large part to Cooney, who has made exactly five 3-pointers in six of his last eight games, and backcourt mate Tyler Ennis, who chipped in 20 points. C.J. Fair added 17 points for the Orange, who shot 29-of-35 from the foul line.

After scoring a combined 11 points in the Wildcats' last two games, James Bell poured in a game-high 25 points against the Orange. Bell made six 3-pointers while Josh Hart knocked down a pair of long-range shots en route to 10 points for Villanova (11-1).

Villanova made five of its first seven 3-pointers and opened up a stunning 25-7 lead nine minutes into the game before Cooney's 3-pointer ignited a 20-0 run that included another 3-pointer by the sophomore shooting guard and one from Fair. The Wildcats finally ended the run on a jumper by Dylan Ennis - Tyler's older brother - but Cooney knocked down another 3 to help the Orange to a 38-34 lead at intermission.

Syracuse briefly led by double digits early in the second half, but Villanova slowly worked its way back, closing to within 56-53 with 7:02 to play before Cooney's 3-pointer helped stem the tide. Jerami Grant (11 points) scored six straight for the Orange - four foul shots and a slashing layup - to help hold off the Wildcats in the final minutes.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Carrier Dome crowd of 28,135 was the largest on-campus crowd in the country this season. ... Syracuse continued to receive very little support from its starting big men, as Rakeem Christmas and DaJuan Coleman combined for three points and four rebounds. ... Tyler Ennis did not commit a turnover, giving the freshman a total of five turnovers in his last six contests.