Fouls doom Juan Gomez de Liaño as Tokyo Z remains winless

MANILA, Philippines — A foul-plagued Juan Gomez de Liaño was forced to watch from the sidelines in the endgame as his team absorbed another loss, 71-56, this time at the hands of the Fighting Eagles Nagoya at Ota Gymnasium on Saturday.

Gomez de Liaño, who finished with eight points and two assists, fouled out in the middle of the final salvo just as Tokyo Z managed to cut Nagoya's lead to just four, 53-49.

It marked the beginning of the end for Tokyo Z's upset bid as they remained winless in seven outings.

The Earthfriends actually played at pace against B2 top team Nagoya in the early goings as they held a three-point cushion, 20-17, at the end of the opening salvo.

But the Fighting Eagles were able to recover and grab a one-point lead, 30-29, at halftime.

It was in the third quarter where Nagoya outscored Tokyo Z, 20-14, to really increase the distance between the two teams.

While Tokyo Z managed to get within striking distance early in the fourth quarter, the Earthfriends seemed to lose steam and succumb to the top squad.

Jeremy Jones paced Nagoya with 23 points and eight boards.

Gomez de Liaño and the Earthfriends thus continue to search for their first win of the season.

Tokyo and Nagoya will clash anew on Sunday.