Concentrix and Wells Fargo scored close wins over separate rivals while Accenture leaned on a big second half to pull away from theirs in Week 8 of the 2017 BPO Classics Basketball Intermediate Division.
In the most tightly-contested affair, Concentrix dropped a 20-10 fourth quarter run to upset Teleperformance, 70-68.
Teleperformance was in control of the game, going on a 25-17 first quarter. They were able to take an eight-point lead heading to the final quarter, but Concentrix unloaded an 11-4 run to open the final period to make it 62-61.
From there, it was a back-and-forth affair. Dave Torregoza’s basket gave Concentrix a 68-67 advantage before Mario Maglinao knotted the count with a split from the foul line.
But Torregoza broke the deadlock one last time as his jumper with seven seconds left pushed Concentrix to victory. He led the winners with 19 points on 50 percent shooting and 12 rebounds. Chris Catamora added 13 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
Maglinao paced Teleperformance with 16 points. William Johnston chipped in 12 markers and 16 boards.
In the second game, Wells Fargo almost blew a 16-point advantage but held on for a 73-70 win over Optum Global Solutions.
Wells Fargo took a 50-34 cushion halfway through the third quarter, but Optum began fighting back. After trimming the deficit to just six entering the fourth quarter, Optum pulled within one.
Baskets by Alvin Dela Cruz and Ralph Shappit gave Wells Fargo a 71-64 lead, but Roberto Valdes and Dave Santos kept delivering for Optum.
Fortunately, JJ De Guzman’s split towards the end of the game gave Wells Fargo the 73-70 lead as they held on for the win.
Shappit and Dela Cruz had 21 and 18 points, respectively, while De Guzman added 10 points. Wells Fargo spoiled big games from Valdes, who had 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting, and Santos, who tallied 23 markers.
In the last game, Accenture used a 49-38 second half to defeat EXL, 93-81. Charles Mendoza shot an efficient 9-of-12 from the field for 18 points and 15 rebounds to lead the winning side.
