NCAA Player of the Week Nitura helps Altas stay afloat

MANILA, Philippines – After a shaky start to the season, University of Perpetual Help System DALTA is finally living up to its dark horse tag after winning its last four games with Cyrus Nitura playing crucial roles as the Altas remain in the Final Four hunt.

The sophomore cager flashed his all-around performance for the past week, steering the Altas to huge wins against two contender teams in Lyceum of the Philippines University and San Beda University as well as also-ran Arellano University.

And after leading Perpetual to a perfect run in the past week, Nitura was hailed as the Collegiate Press Corps Player of the Week in the NCAA Season 99 men's basketball tournament.

The 6-foot-4 cager logged 11.67 points, 9.0 rebounds, 6.67 assists, and 3.0 steals to lead the Altas to a 3-0 streak in the November 7-12 period, being picked as the league's best player in that stretch by the scribes covering the beat.

Nitura edged out teammates Jun Roque and Mark Omega as well as Saint Benilde's Will Gozum and Mapua's Clint Escamis for the weekly honors presented by San Miguel Corporation and backed by minor sponsors Discovery Suites and Jockey.

Nitura's string of solid performances extended Perpetual's winning run to four games for an 8-7 record, and more importantly, it kept the Las Piñas-based squad's Final Four chances alive with still three games to play in the elimination round.

The high-leaping cager started his charge against the Chiefs with 13 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and five steals in an 81-74 win on November 7 before he collected four markers, eight boards, four dimes, one swat, and one block to help Perpetual stun the Red Lions, 61-57.

Then he capped it all off with another impressive stat line on Sunday, flirting with a triple-double of 18 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, three steals, and one block as the Altas stunned the Pirates behind the game-winning triple from Mark Denver Omega.

Nitura, though, doesn't mind what the stat sheet says. For him, it's about doing his best effort to help Perpetual return to the Final Four after missing out last season. 

"Wala akong kaalam-alam (na almost triple-double) na ako, talagang trabaho lang," he said.

Perpetual head coach Myk Saguiguit, meanwhile, expressed his gratitude about the fact that they are finally able to prove what almost everyone thought before the season started – a darkhorse for a reason.

"We're just happy kung ano 'yung nagagawa namin ngayon sa 99, we're making a lot of people happy. 'Yung season napapaganda namin kasi dati 'yung mga top four teams lang 'yung nandiyan eh," he said.

"Ngayon lumalabas na 'yung Perpetual and ang sarap ng feeling na naka-end kami ng streak."