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Perez's return only fueled San Beda to play even better

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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/2018/sports/11/12/20181112-cj-perez.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>CJ Perez (R) returned from a one-game suspension but could not lead the Lyceum Pirates to victory. Arvin Lim, ABS-CBN Sports</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA -- There is no doubt that the Lyceum Pirates badly missed their best player, CJ Perez, in Game 1 of the NCAA Season 94 Finals last week.Without the former league MVP, the Pirates trailed by as much as 27 points against the San Beda Red Lions, and wound up losing 73-60. Still, their margin of defeat served to boost the Lyceum team: they only lost by 13 points without Perez, who had averaged over 18 points per game in the elimination round. Perez -- who was suspended for failing to notify the league that he was entering the PBA Rookie Draft -- returned in Game 2 on Monday and made an immediate impact. He had 11 points in the first quarter alone, keeping the Pirates afloat even as San Beda zoomed to a 23-15 advantage.The Red Lions, however, were never apprehensive of their chances even with Perez returning in the best-of-3 series. Indeed, the veteran San Beda squad welcomed his return, as it made their triumph even sweeter.&quot;Ako mas gusto ko na kumpleto, mas maganda &#x27;yung championship. Kasi kami sa San Beda, competitive kami eh,&quot; said San Beda guard Robert Bolick. &quot;So, mas maganda, mas kumpleto para win or lose, masabi namin na ginawa namin &#x27;yung best namin.&quot;&quot;Yun ang pinaka-importante. So ayun. Mas maganda &#x27;yung kumpleto talaga para masaya &#x27;yung championship,&quot; he added.San Beda, as they have done time and again in Season 94, adjusted. They held Perez scoreless in the second quarter, then limited him to eight points in the second half. They also baited him into foul trouble, as it was clear that the Lyceum swingman was a little overeager after missing the first game of the series.Perez would finish with 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting, along with six rebounds and four assists. With him struggling to score, Lyceum floundered: San Beda eventually pulled away in the final frame to claim a 71-56 win, and with it, the Season 94 crown.For San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez, it was their way of shutting up the naysayers who had questioned their win in Game 1 -- the one that came with Perez out.&quot;Sa totoo lang, ayaw kong mapasama ang sabihin ko. Pero did you remember that we beat LPU in the second round with CJ there? And he only scored nine points against us, right?&quot; Fernandez said pointedly, referring to their 75-68 triumph over the Pirates.&quot;You have to give credit to my players,&quot; he stressed. &quot;Because if not for my players, we will not win that Game 1. Sa totoo lang, mas na-fuel sa amin &#x27;yung mga sinasabi nila na &#x27;You cannot win with CJ (there).&#x27;&quot; Fernandez believes that those critics do not give enough credit to the effort made by the Red Lions, who stamped their class over the Pirates for most of Game 1, then stood firm when Lyceum made a last-ditch rally. &quot;I give credit to the coaching staff of LPU, they came back from 27 points down,&quot; he said. &quot;But please, bigyan naman ng credit ang players ko who played really hard in that game.&quot; Thus, for Game 2, they had a goal in mind, aside from winning the title: &quot;Let&#x27;s prove ourselves, that we can beat LPU with CJ there.&quot;&quot;They showed that today,&quot; Fernandez added. &quot;Hopefully, it all erased everything.&quot;The San Beda coach had been reluctant to speak on the circumstances that led to Perez&#x27;s suspension, but he could not help himself on Monday after seeing how their university was blamed for the situation.Perez&#x27;s suspension had been widely panned in basketball circles, but Fernandez pointed out that Lyceum was at fault.&quot;Hindi naman namin kasalanan ng San Beda na na-suspend, because it&#x27;s already in the rules, and if we discuss everything here, I think LPU will already realize that they were at fault on that,&quot; said Fernandez. &quot;Because for me, being a coach, I will know my players who are going to the draft.&quot;&quot;CJ is drafting early because he&#x27;s a Fil-Am, so kailangan alam nila na by the end of October 29, kailangan nila mag-check si CJ, magf-file &#x27;yun dahil &#x27;yung bata ay Fil-Am eh. But they never checked it, and rules are rules. So again, it&#x27;s not the fault of San Beda. We never even joined the voting,&quot; he emphatically added.Fernandez still offered his congratulations to Lyceum, and praised Coach Topex Robinson for his program, which has now reached the NCAA Finals for two straight years.&quot;I think they have a bright future going there at LPU,&quot; he said.But his own team deserves plenty of credit as well.&quot;Pero sana naman, give credit to my players, give credit to my coaching staff, and give credit to the alumni of San Beda, because they were there all the time,&quot; Fernandez said.

MANILA -- There is no doubt that the Lyceum Pirates badly missed their best player, CJ Perez, in Game 1 of the NCAA Season 94 Finals last week.

MANILA -- There is no doubt that the Lyceum Pirates badly missed their best player, CJ Perez, in Game 1 of the NCAA Season 94 Finals last week.

Perez's return only fueled San Beda to play even better

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Perez's return only fueled San Beda to play even better

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published November 12, 2018 08:54 PM PHT

Read More:

NCAA

NCAA Season 94

San Beda Red Lions

Lyceum Pirates

CJ Perez

Boyet Fernandez

Robert Bolick

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