Bell, Mintz Combine For 44 In Win Against Louisville

Saturday, March 2

Louisville, KY

8 PM

Syracuse University

20-10,11-8ACC

Louisville

8-21,3-15ACC

Syracuse

Louisville

Bell, Mintz Combine For 44 In Win Against Louisville

3/2/2024 10:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Adrian Autry Press Conference Photo Gallery Judah Mintz Interview Justin Taylor Interview Photo Gallery

Sophomores Chris Bell (23 points), a forward, and guard Judah Mintz (21) combined for 44 points and guided Syracuse (20-10, 11-8 ACC) to victory against Louisville (8-21, 3-15), 82-76, on Saturday night in the KFC Yum! Center.

The Orange improved to 20 wins in the regular season for the first time since 2013-14, when Syracuse finished the regular season with a 27-4 record.

Five Orange performers scored in double figures for the third time this season. Sophomore forward Justin Taylor had 11 points while sophomores J.J. Starling, a guard, and center Maliq Brown each added 10 points. Brown also grabbed 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.

The Orange finished the outing 26-of-45 (.578) from the field, which included 15-of-24 (.625) in the first half. The opening period offensive performance was the second best this season.

WHEN THE GAME WAS DECIDED
Down 7-5 with 15:26 to go in the first half, Syracuse put together a 10-2 run that gave them a six-point lead with 13:59 to go. Justin Taylor scored five, Mintz added three and Chris Bell contributed two during the rally. Once the Orange went in front, they kept the lead for the rest of the game. The Cardinals came within nine after 10 straight points with 4:53 left in the contest. In the final 1:18, Louisville produced a 7-2 run that cut its deficit to four, 78-74, with 39 seconds to go. Taylor was sent to the line three times in the final 31 seconds and made four-of-six free throw attempts to put the Orange ahead by eight with nine seconds and seal the victory.

ORANGE HOLD OFF CARDINAL COMEBACK
The second half kicked off with a long-range bucket from Starling. Down 42-30 at the 18:28 mark in the second half, freshman forward Kaleb Glenn scored five in a 9-2 run that brought Louisville within seven, 44-37, with 16:55 left. The Cardinals trailed the Orange by five with 12:58 to go before the Orange surged. Bell hit one from beyond the arc to spark 12-straight Syracuse points. Mintz followed up Bell's shot with a conventional three-point play off a dunk. Starling and Taylor each converted layups before Brown made two at the charity stripe to cap the rally. The run gave the Orange a 17-point advantage, 64-47, at the 9:49 mark.

With 6:18 to go in the affair, the Cardinals cut their deficit to single digits with 10 unanswered points, thanks in part to eight-of-10 free throw attempts that included four makes from junior forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield. The swing allowed Louisville to come within nine, 71-62, with 4:53 remaining. The Orange were ahead by nine with 1:48 remaining. Huntley-Hatfield made a jumper and sophomore swingman Mike James followed it up with a 3-pointer to cut Louisville's deficit to four, 78-74, with 39 seconds remaining.

MINTZ LEADS FIRST HALF SURGE
Mintz directed the Orange offense in the first half, producing 15 points and added four assists in the first 20 minutes. Bell was the next top Syracuse performer with nine points in the first half.

It was a slow start as the first point of the game came 1:51 into the contest from a Starling free throw. After a Taylor jumper knotted the score at 7-7 with 15:26 in the first half, Bell and Taylor threw down back-to-back transition dunks. Taylor was fouled on his slam and made the succeeding free throw to complete the three-point play. A hookshot from sophomore guard Tre White was followed by a 3-pointer from Mintz that gave the Orange a 15-9 advantage with 13:59 to go in half. Including the rally, the Orange made their next six-of-seven from the field and were 10-of-15 in the first 12:14 of the contest. With 2:47 to go before halftime, Mintz scored six in a 10-2 Syracuse run that gave the Orange a 39-28 lead going into the intermission.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

Syracuse made a season-high 25 shots from the charity stripe on 39 attempts.
The Orange held the Cardinals' season-leading scorer, Skyy Clark, to just five points.
Mintz made six-of-eight from the foul line. He is now second in free throws made in ACC contests (113) since Syracuse joined the ACC in 2013, trailing Anthony Barber of NC State (2015-16, 115). Coming into the weekend, he ranked fourth in Division I in free throws and eighth in free throw attempts.
Syracuse achieved the season sweep of Louisville, defeating the Cardinals at home on February 7 earlier this season.
The Cardinals had four players score in double-figures: James (18 points), Huntley-Hatfield (17), Glenn (15) and White (12).

UP NEXT
Syracuse is set for the regular-season finale at Clemson on Tuesday, March 5 in the Littlejohn Coliseum. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN2.

For complete coverage of Syracuse men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter (@Cuse_MBB) and Instagram (@cuse_mbb).

Gallery: (3-2-2024) Syracuse MBB vs Louisville