CJAY Perez was still in a Columbian Dyip uniform when he made his first big PBA game.
Coming in fresh as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, the then rookie guard exploded for 39 points in a 120-105 rout of NLEX during the Commissioner’s Cup.
The NCAA MVP from Lyceum spiked the performance with seven shots from three-point range while adding nine rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
READ Perez scores career-high 39 as Columbian grabs first win
He finished 16-of-21 from the floor in 35 minutes of play.
That’s the closest thing he could think of before he came through with a 41-point production in San Miguel’s 101-88 blowout of Barangay Ginebra that sent the defending champions to the Season 50 Philippine Cup Finals.
“Same na same 'yung pakiramdam. Yung parang malabong mag-mintis. Ganun 'yung pakiramdam mo,” he said of his two scoring explosions with different PBA teams.
“So I’m just happy lang na meron akong ganitong game sa San Miguel.”
Kyle Barone was Columbian’s import back then, while among Perez’s local teammates were Jackson Corpuz, Rashawn McCarthy, Eric Camson, and Glenn Khobuntin.
Also with the Dyip during those days was Andreas Cahilig, now a teammate of Perez at San Miguel.
Perez played like a man possessed in that fiery opening quarter for San Miguel, hitting 30 big points on a perfect 12-of-12 shooting from the field.
When the dust finally settled, Perez erased his previous career-high with his 17-of-23 shooting including a 4-of-5 clip from downtown and added three assists.
He also entered his name in the PBA history books, according to chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III. The 30 points were the most scored by a local or import in the opening quarter of a game and likewise in any quarter in the playoffs.
The perfect 12-of-12 shooting in the opening period is now the best 100 percent clip in a quarter by any local, eclipsing the previous best of 9-of-9 established by Cyrus Baguio in the first quarter of Alaska’s 108-98 win over Alaska in the 2010 Fiesta Conference.
And his 30 points in the first period tied the second all-time most points in any quarter along with Bong Alvarez, who scored the same output n the fourth quarter of a 169-138 Alaska rout of Formula Shell. Alvarez finished with 71 points – the second highest output scored by a local in a single game.
“I’m just grateful na nakuha ko yung mga ganitong career-highs,” said Perez.
The San Miguel Beer guard added he still has a lot more to offer, with the Beermen facing the TNT Tropang 5G in a rematch of last season’s All-Filipino Cup finals.
“It will not stop here. I’ll continue to play hard, both in games and practices,” Perez said.
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