JayR Reyes vs Vic Manuel. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
JayR Reyes was in the midst of his best game in years in Game 3 of the 2016 Philippine Cup Finals.
The San Miguel Beer reserve center had 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field, including 2-of-2 from the three-point area, on top of seven rebounds, one steal and a block in 23 minutes off the bench, but his performance on Friday went for naught when he committed his only foul.
Reyes was called for flagrant foul penalty 2 when he elbowed Alaska forward Vic Manuel in the face that led to his ejection at the 9:32 mark of the fourth quarter , which turned out to be the turning point in Alaska’s 82-75 win.
The 31-year-old Reyes defended himself, denying he intended to hit Manuel.
“Siyempre rebound yun, pinrotektahan ko lang yung bola tapos hindi ko na siya nakita na nasa kaliwa ko pala. Kumuha ako ng space para hindi maagaw sa akin yung bola,” Reyes recalled.
“Hindi ko nga siya tinamaan eh,” Reyes claimed. “Nagtaka ako bagkit tumawag ng F2.”
Reyes admitted he got “frustrated” with himself after not making the most out of the extended minutes he saw.
“Sobrang nafrustrate ako kasi bihira ako maglaro ng medyo matagal sa loob so yung opportunity sayang eh.”