MANILA, Philippines—Guard CJ Perez had one of the brighter outings for Gilas Pilipinas in its 69-66 loss to New Zealand in the Fiba World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers at Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday night. Despite his strong shooting, Perez downplayed his scoring and emphasized his defensive role. “Actually, I know I wasn’t in their scouting report. All I thought about was defending,” he said. “That was my role today but I had some bonus by scoring.” Perez got hot early, scoring 10 points in the first half alone. His night was curtailed, however, by foul trouble, limiting his […]... Keep on reading: Gilas’ CJ Perez prioritizes defense, gets 'bonus' offense in loss