Wipro wins by a hairline in inter-BPO hooplah

CEBU, Philippines - Wipro pulled a nerve-wracking 70-69 victory over Stream to finally barge into the win column of the 6th Inter-BPO Basketball Tournament at the City Sports Club-Cebu Gym, last Sunday.

Neither team was willing to give an inch from start to finish. It was only a missed free throw that decided the outcome of the game.

Wipro was leading, 70-68, when Stream’s Melvin Balansag was fouled just before the final buzzer sounded.

 Balansag made the first free throw, but missed the second, sealing Wipro’s victory – its first in four battles.

 JP Escudero had a solid game for Wipro as he finished with 16 points and got a strong backing from Raymond San Juan who added 10.

 Stream’s Roderick Mangubat had an impressive 32-point game went to naught as Stream absorbed its second loss in four games.

Meanwhile, the Teletech Titans bounced back from a blowout loss to defending champion Convergys by thrashing the unbeaten Aegis People Support, 72-60.

The Titans started the game like a house on fire as they racked up 25 points in the first period while holding APS to just two markers.

 Teletech’s blistering first quarter attack set the stage for the eight-point win.

Teletech and APS now have similar 3-1 (win-loss) slates. APS’ defeat left Qualfon (4-0) and Convergys as the remaining unbeaten squads in the 13-team field.

Erwin Abellanosa spearheaded the Titans with 17 points, while Lourenz Limpangog, Laurenz Sultan and Fidel Tejam Jr. added 16, 15 and 10 markers, respectively.

Kenneth Dysam scored 24 points to lead APS while Jomie Mendez added 19 markers.

 The Scores

 First Game

 Teletech (72) – Abellanosa 17, Limpangog 16, Sultan 15, Tejam 10, Rodis 5, Clemente 4, Dalangin 3, Mata 2

 Aegis People Support (60) – Dysam 24, Mendez 19, Barrera 5, Nayon 4, Gamallo 3, Arriesgado 2, Zanoria 2, Ruiz 1

Second Game

Wipro (70) – Salibay 22, Escudero 16, San Juan 10, Reambonanza 7, Pestano 5, Canoy 4, Cagas 2, Molina 2, Zaragoza 2

Stream Global (69) – Mangubat 32, Delacruz 11, Balansag 8, Mancao 6, Cabrera 5, Ampong 4, Lambo 3 (FREEMAN NEWS)