7 days ago
CJ Perez taken to hospital after injury in Gilas' OT win vs Saudi Arabia
Gilas Pilipinas' 95-88 overtime triumph over Saudi Arabia came at a costly price as CJ Perez was taken to the hospital following an apparent ankle injury during the qualification to quarterfinals clash in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup early Tuesday.
The veteran guard looked to have hurt his right ankle while going for a loose ball at the 5:52 mark of the second quarter, further adding to Gilas' personnel woes with Calvin Oftana already sitting out the game due to his own ankle injury.
"The only bad part about all this is the injury to CJ. Looks like it's a bad injury. He's in the hospital now," Gilas head coach Tim Cone said.
"We don't know the extent of it but it didn't look good. I'm not gonna pretend to be a doctor and tell you what it is, but it was not a good injury so our prayers are with him."
Missing two of their stalwarts, the Filipinos still withstood a gallant effort from the hosts, though it took an extra five minutes to get the job done.
Brownlee finished with 29 points, none bigger than his cold-blooded three over a smaller defender that tied the game at 79 and forced an extra period. The naturalized player also grabbed four rebounds, five assists, and one block to star in the epic 95-88 victory that sent the Philippines to the quarterfinals against Australia.
But Gilas showed it's more than just one man's game.
Kevin Quiambao proved he belongs after the 24-year-old wingman posted 17 points, including two triples in the overtime, while AJ Edu churned out a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Dwight Ramos flirted with a double-double after collecting 13 markers and nine rebounds as June Mar Fajardo chimed in with six markers, two rebounds, and four assists.
"But I'm just proud of our guys, we didn't quit. We had some leads that we gave up but they didn't quit either, that's what it was an epic game," Cone added.
"Both teams battled to the very end."
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
