LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Peyton Siva scored 16 points and Louisville beat Villanova 84-74 on Wednesday night to return to .500 in the Big East after a rough start to conference play.

Siva was brilliant late when the Cardinals (16-5, 4-4) needed him most. He made a turnaround jumper from 15 feet to give the Cardinals a 73-67 lead with 2:56 left, then made two sharp passes on the next two possession that led to points, including Jared Swopshire's 3-pointer in the corner that made it 78-70 with 1:09 left. He hit two free throws with 57 seconds left that iced it.

Villanova (10-11, 3-6) rallied from a nine-point first-half deficit to lead by as many as six, but went cold in the second half as its modest two-game winning streak ended.

Big East player of the week Maalik Wayns scored 19 points for Villanova.