CJ Perez scored a season high 32 points on a hot Easter Sunday afternoon for the San Miguel Beermen in their 116-102 stopping of the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Perez joined hands for crucial baskets with Jericho Cruz in the last five minutes, and their efforts silenced the repeated rallies that the Fuel Masters tried to stage in the last period and helped lift the Beermen to their third straight triumph.
“That’s what I told the boys. Their energy will go down. We’re giving opportunities for the other team to come back. We just have to keep our energies for 48 minutes,” said Beermen coach Jorge Gallent.
The Fuel Masters lost steam in their effort to catch up with the Beermen in the fourth period.
Ken Tuffin’s triple with 3:24 left saw the Fuel Masters catching up for the last time, 96-104.
After that, the Beermen took off on an 9-0 blast which Cruz and Perez erected, handing San Miguel Beer a 113-96 cushion in the remaining 1:19.
Perez recently scored one of his highest outputs during the All-Star Weekend in Bacolod, where he unloaded 39 points for Team Mark Barroca.
Cruz tallied 17 points for the Beermen, while Terrence Romeo made 16 points for the Beermen.
June Mar Fajardo finished with a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Beermen.