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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider CJ Perez fires career-high 41 as SMB ousts Ginebra to march into PBA finals

CJ Perez fires career-high 41 as SMB ousts Ginebra to march into PBA finals

Published Jan 16, 2026 09:54 pm

At A Glance

  • CJ Perez came out guns blazing and then Don Trollano put on the finishing touches as San Miguel ousted Barangay Ginebra, 101-88, to march into the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday, Jan. 16.

CJ Perez came out guns blazing and then Don Trollano put on the finishing touches as San Miguel ousted Barangay Ginebra, 101-88, to march into the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday, Jan. 16.

The high-scoring guard fired 30 of his career-high 41 in the opening frame as the Beermen established a sizeable margin enough to survive another Kings comeback to arrange a finals rematch against the TNT Tropang 5G.

It was actually a historic night for Perez who became the first PBA player – both local and imports – to ever score 30 points in the opening frame. He is the third local player to score at least 30 in a quarter behind Bong Alvarez’s 30 points and Allan Caidic’s 37.

Perez shot a perfect 12-of-12 in the opening frame including a 3-of-3 clip from the three-point territory as he singlehandedly outscored Ginebra, which only had 25, in the first quarter.

The 32-year-old player however was saddled by foul trouble in the ensuing quarters, keeping the window open for another Kings comeback.

SMB led by as many as 19, 68-49 but Ginebra cut the deficit down to just four, 79-83, in the final frame. The Beermen, however, restored order with a 15-0 run with Trollano leading the charge. 

He actually fired 15 of his 23 points in the second half to make up for the lack of scoring from June Mar Fajardo who only had four points but more than made up for it 18 rebounds.

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