Nueva Ecija led throughout in a 96-86 victory over Negros on Saturday to regain its footing in the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) Sixth Season at the FilOil Flying V Center in San Juan.
Hurting from back-to-back losses, the Rice Vanguards surged ahead, 31-19, after the first quarter and proceeded to tally their 13th win against 2 losses in the round-robin elimination phase of the 29-team tournament.
Will McAloney led the Rice Vanguards with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, followed by John Wilson and Ed Daquiaog with 15 points each.
Robby Celiz also delivered with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks for Nueva Ecija, which trailed only Quezon Province (15-0), Pampanga (16-1) and San Juan (13-1) in the standings.
With Daquiaog making all his points from the rainbow zone, Nueva Ecija converted 9 of 21 triple tries for a high 42.9 conversion rate against only 27.3 percent (6 of 22 attempts) for Negros.
Negros dropped to 7-11 despite five Muscovados notching twin digits. Renz Palma and Jeremy Cruz have 15 points each, Felipe Chavez 12, and John Formento and Ryan Reyes 10 each.
The MPBL goes to the San Andres Sports Complex on Monday, July 15, with games pitting Sarangani against Pasay at 4 p.m., Mindoro against Paranaque at 6 p.m., and Davao against Manila at 8 p.m.
