Cjay Perez was one of the few bright spots for Gilas Pilipinas in their loss to the New Zealand Tall Blacks in the second window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
Cjay Perez refused to wallow in misery after Gilas Pilipinas ran out of gas toward the end of their 66-69 loss to New Zealand in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers Thursday night, Feb. 26.
Perez said there’s no time for the Nationals to drown themselves in frustration as they shift their focus to Australia.
“Kailangang mag-move on for next game. Kailangang mag-focus, kailangang mag-move forward para sa Australia,” Perez said after the match at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
[RELATED STORY: Gilas coach Cone finds no reason to be happy despite near miss vs New Zealand]
With naturalized Filipino Justin Brownlee struggling, Perez kept Gilas afloat early on, scoring the team’s first 10 points.
He totaled 15 points while also tallying three rebounds, three assists and two steals as Gilas absorbed its first loss in the qualifiers for a 2-1 mark.
[RELATED STORY: SCHEDULE | Gilas hosts New Zealand, Australia in FIBA WC Qualifiers Window 2]
Gilas Pilipinas ace Justin Brownlee struggles with four points against the New Zealand Tall Blacks. | Photo: RM Chua/One Sports
While he was heartbroken after the stinging loss, Perez took comfort in the fact that the Pinoy dribblers could bounce back against Australia three days later.
“Nakalulungkot na hindi nanalo pero may chance kaming bumawi,” Perez said.
Gilas and the Boomers meet Sunday, March 1, at the same venue.
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.