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FIBA World Cup: Perez, Bolick downplay solid debuts after Gilas’ big loss

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/sports/08/31/20190831-perez-bolick.jpg"/><figcaption>CJ Perez and Robert Bolick&#x27;s energy couldn&#x27;t overcome the Italians&#x27; torrid shooting in the Philippines&#x27; 108-62 loss on Saturday. Courtesy of FIBA.basketball</figcaption></figure></div>FOSHAN, China—Gilas Pilipinas rookies CJ Perez and Robert Bolick were in no mood to discuss their national team debuts after the Philippines absorbed a massive loss to Italy in the 2019 FIBA World Cup.Awful 3-point shooting, costly turnovers, and a sluggish defense made Gilas Pilipinas pay, as Italy dealt them a 108-62 beating on Saturday at the Foshan International Sports and Cultural Center here.Bolick and Perez did their best to energize the team upon their entry into the game, and Perez in particular showed no fear in attacking the much bigger Italians.The former NCAA Most Valuable Player drew applause from the crowd with his daredevil drives, and Bolick did his part in the third quarter with his moves to the hoop as well.However, they just could not contain Italy from the perimeter. The Italians knocked down 15 of their 31 three-pointers, answering every Gilas deuce with a triple.Perez finished the game with 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting, tied for team-high honors with Andray Blatche. He also accounted for one of Gilas’ three 3-pointers. Bolick, meanwhile, finished with 6 points, 4 of which came from the free-throw line.“Para sa amin, ginawa namin ‘yung best namin,” a subdued Perez said after the game.Meanwhile, Bolick only said: “Hindi masaya,” when asked for his take on the game.“Wala akong masabi,” a clearly disappointed Bolick added. “Bad trip.”But coach Yeng Guiao hailed the performance of the two rookies — along with that of Kiefer Ravena, who hit Gilas’ first triple in the fourth quarter — noting that it was one of the few positives that they can take away from the game.“Our young guys played hard,” said Guiao. “CJ Perez is a rookie, he got 15 points. He played his heart out, as well as Robert Bolick and Kiefer.”“So if there’s anything positive we can pick up from a bad loss like this, it’s that our young guys really gave their all,” he added.The Philippines will try to bounce back on Monday, when Gilas takes on a powerhouse Serbian team in their second game of the World Cup. It will be a must-win contest for Gilas Pilipinas, as another loss will relegate them to the classification phase.For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.

CJ Perez and Robert Bolick's energy couldn't overcome the Italians' torrid shooting in the Philippines' 108-62 loss on Saturday.

CJ Perez and Robert Bolick's energy couldn't overcome the Italians' torrid shooting in the Philippines' 108-62 loss on Saturday.

FIBA World Cup: Perez, Bolick downplay solid debuts after Gilas’ big loss

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FIBA World Cup: Perez, Bolick downplay solid debuts after Gilas’ big loss

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 31, 2019 11:22 PM PHT

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Updated September 01, 2019 12:20 AM PHT

Read More:

2019 FIBA World Cup

Gilas Pilipinas

Yeng Guiao

CJ Perez

Robert Bolick

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