NEW YORK — Peyton Siva, the graduate from Seattle's Franklin High, added his own chapter to the history books of the Big East Conference tournament.

Siva had 11 points and eight assists to lead No. 4 Louisville (29-5) to a 78-61 victory over No. 19 Syracuse (26-9) on Saturday night, giving the Cardinals their second consecutive 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.

"I knew we would come back," Siva said.

Siva joined Georgetown's Patrick Ewing (1984-85) as the only repeat tournament MVP selections. "I don't know how I am in the same sentence as Patrick Ewing," he said.

ATLANTIC 10

In New York, Dwayne Evans (24 points, 11 rebounds) and the defense of No. 16 Saint Louis (26-6) topped Butler (26-8), 67-56.

In the other semifinal, Troy Daniels made six three-pointers to score 20 points, and No. 25 Virginia Commonwealth (26-7) was a 71-62 winner over UMass (21-11)

ATLANTIC COAST

Dexter Strickland and Reggie Bullock scored 15 points apiece and North Carolina (24-9) held on 79-76 to beat Maryland (22-12) in the semifinals in Greensboro, N.C.

In the other semi, Durand Scott scored 32 points to help No. 9 Miami (26-6) to a 81-71 victory over North Carolina State (24-10).

BIG TEN

Ryan Evans scored 16 points to help No. 22 Wisconsin (23-10) to a 68-56 upset of No. 3 Indiana (27-6) in Chicago. The Badgers allowed only seven points after the Hoosiers closed to one point with 9:45 left.

In the other semifinal, Aaron Craft came on strong in the second half to finish with 20 points and lead No. 10 Ohio State (25-7) to a 61-58 victory over No. 8 Michigan State (25-8).

BIG 12

Jeff Withey had 17 points and nine rebounds, Perry Ellis and Naadir Tharpe added 12 points each, and No. 7 Kansas (29-5) was a 70-54 winner over No. 11 Kansas State (27-7) in Kansas City, Mo.

CONFERENCE USA

In Tulsa, Okla., Chris Crawford scored 23 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer in double overtime, and No. 20 Memphis (30-4) was a 91-79 winner over Southern Mississippi (25-9).

MOUNTAIN WEST

In Las Vegas, Tony Snell scored 13 consecutive points for New Mexico (29-5) and the No. 15 Lobos pulled away from UNLV (25-9) for a 63-56 victory. Snell finished with 21 points.

SOUTHEASTERN

Kenny Boynton scored 11 consecutive points during a 15-0 run and No. 13 Florida (26-6) overcame a 10-point, second-half deficit for a 61-51 win over Alabama (21-12) in Nashville, Tenn.

In the other semifinal, Marshall Henderson scored 23 points as Mississippi (25-8) was a 64-52 winner over Vanderbilt (16-17).

OTHER TOURNAMENT FINALS

America East — Mike Black scored 14 points and Albany (24-10) came back from an early deficit for a 53-49 victory over Vermont (21-11) in Burlington, Vt.

Big Sky — Kareem Jamar scored 20 points, Will Cherry had 18 and Montana (25-6) took a 67-64 victory over Weber State (26-6) in Missoula, Mont.

Big West — Reserve Tony Gill scored 19 points, Lorenzo McCloud added 16 and Pacific (22-12) held off a second-half surge by UC Irvine (20-15) by a 64-55 count in Anaheim, Calif.

Mid-American — Demetrius Treadwell scored 13 points and Akron (26-6), its season nearly wrecked by a player suspension, was a 65-46 winner over Ohio (24-9) in Cleveland.

Mid-Eastern Athletic — In Norfolk, Va., Adrian Powell scored 14 points, including two critical free throws with 23.4 seconds left as North Carolina A&T (19-16) posted a 57-54 win over Morgan State (17-15).

Southland — Shamir Davis scored 19, DeQuan Hicks added 13 and made the last-second steal that clinched the 68-66 victory for Northwestern State (23-8) over Stephen F. Austin (27-4) in Katy, Texas.

Southwestern Athletic — Derick Beltran had 13 points with a late steal and breakaway layup, and Southern University (23-9) scored a 45-44 victory over Prairie View (15-19) in Garland, Texas.

Western Athletic — Sim Bhullar had 16 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots to lead New Mexico State (24-10) to a 64-55 victory over Texas-Arlington (19-13) in Las Vegas.

NOTE

• Bill Carmody, who ranks among the most successful coaches at Northwestern with a 192-210 mark, was fired Saturday.