Nueva Ecija flashed its old form to subdue Mindoro, 79-68, on Saturday, April 27, in the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) Sixth Season at the Calasiao Sports Complex in Pangasinan.

The Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards, the 2023 national champions, started slow, then rev up their drive behind an 8-point run that fueled them to a 53-37 spread and a second straight victory in the elimination round of the country's top regional league.

It was all Nueva Ecija from there, as the Rice Vanguards drew firepower from Rob Celiz, JP Maguilano and Jay Collado to repel the Tamaraws' repeated assaults.

Celiz finished with 16 points and five rebounds to earn best player honors. Maguilano posted 11 points plus 5 rebounds and Collado tallied 10 points plus three rebounds for Nueva Ecija, now being coached by Jonathan Banal.

Other Rice Vanguards who delivered were Mer Jesper Ayaay with nine points and seven rebounds and prized recruit JB Bahio with eight points and six rebounds.

Mindoro, which tasted its fourth straight defeat after an initial win, got 12 points each from homegrown John Jerrick Caspe and veteran Karl Bono, 11 points from Top Gun Andres Desiderio and eight from homegrown Rogel Vaygan.

Although outrebounded, the Rice Vanguards frolicked inside, making 44 points against only 22 for the Tamaraws.
The Tamaraws committed 14 turnovers that paved the way for 18 points by the Rice Vanguards against only 4 by the Tamaraws.

The MPBL returns to the San Andres Sports Complex on Monday with a triple bill pitting Bacolod against Caloocan at 4 p.m., South Cotabato against Pampanga at 6 p.m. and Quezon Province against Manila at 8 p.m.