CJ Perez is no stranger to being hounded by foul trouble, and that’s precisely why he managed to buck that trend to help San Miguel turn back Ginebra for their first win streak of the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup on Sunday.
But the star guard himself won’t deny that it gets frustrating whenever he finds himself in such a tough situation–just like what happened against the Kings.
“Sabi ko nga kanina, pumunta ako rito para mag-basketball, hindi magpa-cute sa bench,” he offered shortly after their thrilling 85-82 victory witnessed by a good Easter crowd at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“Nakaka-frustrate siya.”
A microwave offensively, Perez was held scoreless in the first half as he got called for a total of four personal fouls, the last of which was against RJ Abarrientos with 4:03 left in the second period that led to his benching.
But he didn’t stay on the sidelines for long, with Coach Leo Austria still opting to start his prized guard in the third quarter, which indeed paid dividends as the latter began buckling down to work to eventually join the scoring fray.
He’d go on to finish with 20 points, 15 of which he made in the final period alone as he made tough layups down the stretch to help the Beermen push the crowd darlings into a tight exchange after trailing by as many as 13 points.
Foul trouble cools down CJ Perez after historic 30-point quarter
Perez would also chalk up eight rebounds and three assists to his tally, with his last dime easily the most important of the night as it led to Don Trollano’s game-winning trifecta to break the 82-all deadlock with 8.3 seconds left to play.
“Nag-focus lang ako, stayed composed, nilaro ko lang ‘yung laro ko nung second half, and nagbunga naman. We’re grateful na nanalo kami,” said the 32-year-old of his personal bounce-back that earned plaudits from Austria.
The Gilas mainstay couldn’t be any happier to witness his patience pay off so sweetly, which was also a subtle display of learning from past experiences.
It could be recalled that the same thing happened to him back in Game 6 of the Season 50 Philippine Cup semis versus Ginebra as well last January 16, where he scored 30 in just the opening period and finished with a career-high 41.
They did win, and that’s what mattered, although Austria believed that Perez could have scored more than his final output had he not encountered foul trouble–Perez accumulated a total of five personal fouls in that series clincher.
Still, the Lyceum product didn’t take all the credit to himself, expressing gratitude to the kind of trust his mentor and the rest of San Miguel have in him.
“Sa trust ng coaches and teammates ko, alam nilang kaya kong bumawi anytime,” he said. “Actually, hindi lang naman ito ‘yung mga larong may ganun ako na foul trouble, pero ni-look forward ko lang talaga ‘yung second half.
“Nag-ano lang ako sa flow ng game. Ayun, naging worth it naman ‘yung pagiging patient ko nung second half.”
#WATCH: PUMUNTA AKO RITO PARA MAG-BASKETBALL, HINDI PARA MAGPA-CUTE SA BENCH 🏀
CJ Perez, along with head coach Leo Austria, talks about San Miguel’s thrilling win over Ginebra#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/Xaagv8jIHB
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times#PBA50 pic.twitter.com/PP78zIxKox
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) April 5, 2026
