MANILA, Philippines — Mapua University cruised to its fifth straight win after defeating University of Perpetual Help System-DALTA in overtime, 65-60, at the NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball tournament on Friday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
The Cardinals are now tied with defending champion San Beda University in the Group A standings at 5-3.
Marc Cuenco scored nine points in overtime, on two triples and an and-one play, to help Mapua escape the gusty Perpetual side, 65-60.
Cuenco finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, and two assists, while Yam Concepcion with nine rebounds and Marcus Nitura with eight rebounds backed him up with 14 markers, each.
Jamal Diaz joined the double-digit scoring with 12 points.
While this is the third-straight overtime win of Mapua, head coach Chito Victolero expressed how glad he is how the team responds in high-pressure scenarios.
“This is a good thing since they can respond. Also, I am very lucky to have Cuenco, who can execute with confidence at the stretch of the game. It’s like he’s born for this moment. Of course, he also shared his experience with Clint Escamis, and now, as you can see, he can handle it,” head coach Victolero said.
Perpetual led by 13 points, 35-22, but Mapua changed the story heading into the second half to snatch its fifth consecutive victory.
On Perpetual’s side, LA Casinillo mounted 17 points and six rebounds, while Mark Gojo Cruz added 10 markers.
However, this was not enough for them to overcome the red-hot shooting in the extended minutes of Cuenco.
