Juan Gomez de Liano played just 10 minutes in Tokyo Z's most recent loss. File photo. (c) B.LEAGUE
Earthfriends Tokyo Z couldn't get a winning streak going in Division 2 of Japan's B.League, falling to the Yamagata Wyverns, 77-62, on Tuesday night at the Omori Sports Center.
Tokyo Z was coming off a 72-63 win on Monday where Filipino import Juan Gomez de Liano scored four points and grabbed six rebounds in 18 minutes.
But Gomez de Liano played just under 10 minutes the next day, making one of three field goals for two points in the loss.
Tokyo Z recovered from a slow start to tie the game at 19 after the opening frame, but Yamagata began pulling away in the second quarter. They took a double-digit spread, 63-51, early in the fourth period after scoring six unanswered points.
Tokyo Z tried to respond through Joshua Crawford but the Wyverns were already on a roll, with Orlando Sanchez and Kenny Lawson Jr. keeping Yamgata ahead by double-digits the rest of the way.
Crawford led Tokyo Z with 19 points, nine rebounds and two assists, while Marc-Eddy Norelia had 17 points and nine rebounds.
Sanchez led Yamagata with 15 points and six rebounds.
The Wyverns improved to 11-6 with the result, while Earthfriends dropped to 2-15 ahead of their clash with Kemark Carino and the Aomori Wat's this weekend.
Gomez de Liano, one of two Filipinos playing as imports in Division 2, continues to struggle for consistency. He is so far averaging 16.1 minutes per game and putting up 5.5 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per contest for Tokyo Z.