Louisville rallies past Orange

New York - Peyton Siva had 11 points and eight assists to lead No. 4 Louisville to a 78-61 victory over No. 19 Syracuse on Saturday night, giving the Cardinals their second straight Big East tournament title.

The Cardinals got their third title by overcoming a 16-point deficit in the second half - almost double the previous record in a championship game - and they kept pouring it on once they got the lead, going ahead by as many as 18 points.

Second-seeded Louisville (29-5) - along with Georgetown and Marquette the tri-champions of the regular season - won its 10th straight game with its defense, forcing Syracuse into 20 turnovers and keeping the Orange off balance during the 24-3 run that turned the 16-point deficit into a 56-48 lead with 8:51 to play.

Montrezl Harrell led Louisville with 20 points. C.J. Fair had 21 points for the Orange.

It was the final Big East tournament for both schools. Syracuse is joining the ACC this fall and Louisville will leave for the ACC after next season.