Troy Bell was too much for Iowa State to handle Wednesday night as Boston College held on down the stretch and handed the Cyclones their first loss of the season, 85-78.

Bell scored 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting as the Eagles’ motion-oriented offense and effective screens led to nearly 60 percent shooting in the second half.

The Cyclones (5-1) cut into a 10-point Boston College lead after halftime, and were within three on nine different occasions, but would never regain the lead.

Jared Homan, who led Iowa State with 18 points and 11 rebounds, said Boston College executed their flex offense — complete with many screens and back picks — and the Cyclones couldn’t match it defensively.

“It seemed like every time we needed a stop or we were making a little run, they would run their flex and the cut and screen would be just right and they’d make a layup on us,” Homan said. “We didn’t have the defensive intensity that we needed tonight.”

The Cyclones got out of the gate early, using a 10-0 run to take a 14-4 lead with midway through the first half. But Bell had a four-point play and two more tries in an 11-0 Boston College run that tied the game at 15.

Boston College forward Andrew Bryant hit two big three-point shots on consecutive possessions late in the half as the Eagles started to pull away.

Bell got loose again and hit another three less than a minute into the second half, giving Boston College its biggest lead of the game at 13. That would start a fury of back-and-forth basketball as the Cyclones answered with threes from Jake Sullivan and Tim Barnes to cut the Boston College lead to 41-34.

Adam Haluska’s two free throws brought Iowa State within five, but Bell buried a three from the left corner with Barnes in his face. Barnes would bring the Cyclones within three and bring the crowd to its feet as he made a three with 10 minutes left. The Cyclones looked to run after a missed dunk on the other end, but Bell stole Barnes’ pass and slammed it home to take away Iowa State’s momentum.

“[Bell’s] an exceptional player. He’s tough to guard because you have to guard the three and penetration,” said Barnes, who had 11 points, six rebounds and five assists on the night. “He’s just an all-around player right now.”

Defensively, Bell helped hold Sullivan in check. Sullivan came into the game leading the Cyclones with nearly 20 points per game, but finished with 16 on just 3-of-15 shooting against Boston College. He made just one of his five three-point shots.

“They sent double teams when I got in the lane, so I had to try to find people, but then I also just missed some open shots,” Sullivan said. “You’re going to have nights like that, as a shooter.”

“Jake mirrored our team,” ISU head coach Larry Eustachy said. “I thought his lack of making a basket showed up at the other end and our offense dictated our game.”

Eustachy said he’s not sure he’s ever been more disappointed with a loss. He said he understands his team is still searching for their identity, but if they expect to right the program after last year’s disappointing season, they must hold court at home.

“This game is about stops and possessions and we could not stop them,” Eustachy said. “We could not stop them — period. We could have played for another 80 minutes and we still wouldn’t have won. We couldn’t guard them.”