NCAA: Player of the Week Cuenco stars in Mapua’s winning streak

MANILA — Marc Cyrus Cuenco has emerged as a key contributor in Mapua University’s resurgence in the NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball tournament. 

Cuenco has shone in back-to-back games, propelling the Cardinals to a five-game winning streak.

The 24-year-old guard played a key role in Mapúa’s 69-67 overtime win over Intramuros rival Colegio de San Juan de Letran last Monday at the Filoil Centre in San Juan, where he finished with 11 points, three steals, and two assists. His all-around effort complemented Lance Nitura’s late-game heroics and fueled the Cardinals’ balanced offensive attack.

Days later, the 6-foot guard came up big anew as Mapúa outlasted the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, 65-60, on Friday in another overtime thriller at the same venue.

In that game, Cuenco saved his best for the extra period, pouring in nine of his game-high 17 points on two triples and an and-one play to propel the Cardinals past the Altas. He also had eight rebounds, two assists, and a steal.

His clutch outings in Mapúa’s last two games earned him Collegiate Press Corps (CPC) Player of the Week honors for the period of October 12 to 16.

Cuenco’s brilliance was also key to Mapúa’s 5-3 run in Group A, where it tied with reigning champion San Beda—an impressive turnaround for a team that lost its first three games.

With the third phase of the preliminary round still ahead, Cuenco and the Cardinals still have a chance to clinch one of the two twice-to-beat bonuses awarded to the top two teams in the group for the playoffs. 

Currently, the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers and the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Blazers share the top spots of Group A with identical 6-2 records.

Cuenco edged out teammate Yam Concepcion, Letran’s Chad Gammad, CSB’s Joseph Nunag, and Lyceum’s Renz Villegas and Mclaude Guadaña to claim CPC Player of the Week honors.