After a two-week delay due to visa issues, two-time UAAP MVP Kevin Quiambao finally made his professional debut in the 2024-25 KBL Season on Sunday at the Goyang Gymnasium.
Unfortunately, his long-awaited debut for the Goyang Sono Skygunners was marred by an apparent right ankle sprain during their match against the Seoul SK Knights.
Quiambao started strong, sinking two of his five attempts from beyond the arc to open his KBL career.
However, at the 7:42 mark of the second quarter, the 23-year-old forward from Muntinlupa appeared to tweak his right ankle after landing on Oh Sekuen’s foot while attempting another three-pointer.
The injury forced Quiambao to exit the game early, finishing with six points and one rebound.
His absence compounded the Skygunners’ struggles as they endured a lopsided 57-84 loss to the Knights, led by Juan Gomez de Liano.
Goyang Sono’s season has been riddled with injuries, starting with the ankle issue of their star player, Lee Junghyun, which has significantly impacted the team’s performance.
The Skygunners currently hold a 9-20 record, sitting at ninth place in the standings.
Juan Gomez de Liano contributed a solid performance for the league-leading Seoul SK Knights, tallying eight points, three rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
The Knights improved to an impressive 22-6 record, solidifying their position at the top of the standings.
In another match, Javi Gomez de Liaño and the Anyang JKJ Red Boosters snapped a four-game losing streak with a clutch 74-67 win against SJ Belangel and the Daegu KOGAS Pegasus at the Anyang Gymnasium.
Deonte Burton’s back-to-back inside conversions gave Anyang a 72-67 cushion with 42.8 seconds remaining.
Belangel, however, committed two critical errors in the dying moments: a turnover at the 38-second mark and a missed three-point attempt with 15 seconds left that could have cut the lead to three.
Gomez de Liaño finished with 12 points on 3-of-6 shooting, adding four rebounds and two blocks to help Anyang improve to 8-21.
Despite the win, they remain in 10th place.
Belangel struggled offensively, scoring just 10 points on 4-of-17 shooting. He also recorded four rebounds and three steals as Daegu KOGAS retained their third-place spot with a 16-12 record.
Elsewhere in the league, Migs Oczon and the Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus cruised to a dominant 94-69 victory over reigning KBL MVP Ethan Alvano and the Wonju DB Promy at the Wonju Gymnasium.
Oczon, who had dropped 31 points in their narrow loss to Seoul SK last Friday, struggled in this game, managing only two points on 0-of-6 shooting.
Despite his off night, Ulsan’s depth shone through as they improved to a 20-8 record, securing second place in the standings.
Alvano led the Promy with 20 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal, but his efforts weren’t enough to stop their slide.
Wonju DB fell to a 13-15 record, now two games behind the fifth-placed Changwon LG Sakers (15-13).
#WATCH Kevin Quiambao is trying to shake off an apparent ankle sprain during his Goyang Sono debut
📹 Better Basketball PH founder Patrick Tancioco#KBL pic.twitter.com/BYkdXIbUkB
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) January 12, 2025
