SAVING his best for last, the perennial guard Cjay Perez delivered when it mattered the most as the defending champion San Miguel Beermen dominated Barangay Ginebra, 101-88 in Game 6 of their PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinals, Friday night, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The 6-foot-2 guard put on a performance for the ages as he single-handedly dictated the pace of the match after dropping 30 huge points in the opening period that dumped Ginebra to a hole they were never able to find their way out of.
Perez finished the game with a career-high 41 points, firing an absurd 12-of-12 shooting clip in the first quarter, alongside three assists. This feat put Perez in elite company, as he was only the third local player in the league’s history to score 30 points in a quarter.
CJ Perez powered San Miguel’s Finals aspirations, firing a career-high 41 points (30 in the first quarter on 12-of-12 shooting) to go with three assists.
“I credit our defense in that first quarter. I worked on my shots and thank God they all went in,” Perez said. “I just honored and played the game. I’m just giving it my all, and today, I guess my shots were just good and not forced. I’m just happy and grateful that we got the win.”
Determined to finish the series, San Miguel came out swinging in the first period with Perez’s scorching start combined with their suffocating defense that led to a 63-47 halftime lead.
But in a typical Ginebra fashion, Coach Tim Cone and his squad put on a valiant stand in the fourth quarter as they were able to cut the lead of the Beermen to just two possessions, 81-76.
Then came Perez’s backcourt partner Don Trollano, the shooting guard, who took on the scoring charge for San Miguel in the final frame, scoring nine of his 18 points in the dying minutes that sealed the deal for the defending champs and ended Barangay’s Finals hope.
Despite being held to a four-point outing, nine-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo made sure to make his presence felt over the boards, grabbing 18 rebounds for SMB. Meanwhile, Chris Ross and Mo Tautuaa contributed eight points each in the series-decider.
With this win, the reigning All-Filipino Conference champion San Miguel clinched the last Finals seat, setting up a much-awaited rematch against their rival TNT Tropang 5G. The two teams will battle each other in a Best-of-seven Finals series for the coveted Philippine Cup title, starting their series this Wednesday, January 21, at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.