CJ PEREZ ETCHES NAME IN PBA HISTORY WITH 30-POINT QUARTER IN GAME 6

MANILA, Philippines–CJ Perez’s 30-point first quarter was more than just a decisive factor in San Miguel Beer’s elimination of sister team Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals on Friday.

Perez became just the third local player in history to put up at least 30 in a quarter, and he did it without missing a single attempt. He went 12-for-12 in that period, setting a league record.

READ: PBA: San Miguel ousts Ginebra to reach finals behind CJ Perez’s 41

“When I made my first two shots, that’s when I felt that it could be my night,” said Perez in Filipino as he would go on to finish with a career-high 41 points in San Miguel’s 101-88 victory in Game 6 at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

San Miguel advanced to the Finals to face a familiar foe in TNT, thanks to Perez, who joined an elite company following what the Saturday print edition of The Inquirer dubbed in its headline as “First Quarter Storm.”

Perez joins Allan Caidic and Bong Alvarez as players with a 30-point quarter, which both etched during their respective iconic games.

Caidic dropped 37 in the third quarter of his 79-point performance, the most by a local, when Tivoii beat Ginebra in a 1991 Third Conference semifinal game.

READ: PBA: CJ Perez shrugs off missed free throws in San Miguel win

That allowed him break the old mark of 71 held by Alvarez, who the previous year hit 30 in the fourth for Alaska against Shell in the 1990 First Conference.

“I just fired those shots and that’s where I got my confidence,” said Perez.

Perez started off with drives to the lanes before scoring transition layup after transition layup while adding three triples and one four-pointer.

By quarter’s end, Perez broke the old record of 9-of-9 in a quarter by Cyrus Baguio back in the 2010 Fiesta Conference for Alaska opposite Coca-Cola.

2026-01-17T11:01:54Z