Juan Gomez De Liaño. Photo from BC Wolves
MANILA, Philippines — Juan Gomez de Liaño introduced himself in the European North Basketball League (ENBL) with a 22-point explosion in the BC Wolves’ 89-60 rout of Valmiera GLASS VIA on Tuesday at Valmiera Olympic Centre in Latvia.
Playing just his second game in the ENBL, De Liaño shot 8-of-14 from the field, including five three-pointers, and tallied five steals, four assists, and two rebounds in 25 minutes of play to keep the Wolves unbeaten in the group stage with a 2-0 record.
The former University of the Philippines standout, the first Filipino male homegrown player to play in Europe, was quick to redeem himself with a breakout game in Europe after he only posted one assist in five minutes of playing time in their 79-77 conquest over the Tartu Ulikool Maks and Moorits on Monday.
“It was pretty tough, back-to-back games are very tiring. But with those two games, I feel that we really emphasized a lot in our defense. We take a lot of pride in that,” said De Liano. “On the offensive end, we just let it flow. We just really stuck to the game plan. Glad we got two [wins].”
The BC Wolves limited Valmiera to 15 points in the third quarter and outscored their opponents in the final period, 31-18, where they led by as many as 30 points.
Besides De Liano, Regimantas Miniotas also led the Wolves with a double-double performance of 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolves, as Eigirdas Zukauskas added 15 points.
The BC Wolves are also playing Lietuvos krepsinio lyga, where they have a 10-5 win-loss record. They will face Utenos Juventus on January 15.
De Liano’s next ENBL game is set on January 17 when his team eyes its third win against the Trefl Sopot.