Michael Juico and Jay Collado joined the elite 1,000-point club as they helped Nueva Ecija overpower Bacoor, 87-76, on Tuesday, extending the Rice Vanguards winning streak to 11 in the Okbet-MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 4th Season presented by Xtreme at the Paco Arena in Manila.
Juico fired a team-high 17 points while Collado added 7 to become the fifth and sixth member of the club after John Wilson, formerly of the San Juan Knights, Mark Yee, now with Bacolod, Yves Sazon of Marikina, and Juneric Baloria, now with Batangas City.
Juico also accounted for 5 rebounds and 5 assists to earn Best Player honors for Nueva Ecija. John Bryon Villarias and Jonathan Uyloan contributed to Nueva Ecija’s cause with 16 and 10 points, respectively.
The Rice Vanguards clustered 12 points and finally took control of the game at 51-44.
Bacoor, which fell to 2-4, got 19 points from RJ Ramirez, 18 from Mark Joseph Pangilinan and 10 from Mark Mantuano.
With Collado grabbing 8 rebounds, the Rice Vanguards ruled the boards, 56-39, and scored 42 points in the paint.