MANILA, Philippines -- Juan Gomez de Liano had a chance to do something unprecedented on Wednesday, when University of the Philippines played Far Eastern University in the second round of the UAAP Season 81 tournament.

On Sunday, Gomez de Liano became the first player in 12 years to register a triple-double, as he put up 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists in UP’s 94-81 triumph over University of the East.

On Wednesday, he came just one assist shy of a second straight triple-double, this time tallying 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists as UP defeated Far Eastern University, 95-82. A sorry miss by Felix Jaboneta inside the paint with 2:42 left to play denied Gomez de Liano his 10th assist.

For the young guard, however, his missed triple-double was a non-issue.

“I don’t mind it talaga,” said Gomez de Liano, the league’s reigning rookie of the year. “We got the W, and that’s what matters to me.”

Also a non-issue for Juan GDL? That he has been coming off the bench for the past two games for UP.

Gomez de Liano was UP’s first man off the bench last year, when he was still a rookie. But he started in their first eight games of the season before being brought off the bench against UE -- a tactic that worked, as he had a triple-double and helped UP secure a much-needed win.

“He had a phenomenal game last game when he came off the bench. So I also asked him if he was comfortable doing that, he's one of our main scorers, he said, yes, he's comfortable coming off the bench,” Perasol said of his guard.

In two games off the bench, Gomez de Liano is averaging 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 10.5 assists. The guard says that it doesn’t matter when he is sent in by his coach -- he is always ready to perform.

“As soon as coach puts me in, I always give my 100%, go all out, all effort. So there's no adjustments. Off the bench or whether I start, I just always give my best. Positive energy as soon as I step on the court,” he said.

For Gomez de Liano, what’s more important than his status as a starter or his statistics is that UP is now tied for fourth place in the league standings with their 5-5 win-loss record.

“I think we're back on track,” he said. “Hopefully we do great in practice tomorrow, and get better each day, improve as a team and just play together like what we did earlier.”

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