MANILA, Philippines - Norman Black, recipient of the “Mr. 100 Percent” award as a PBA player, yesterday notched his 100th career victory as a UAAP coach.
But it did not come easy.
The Ateneo Eagles had some rough moments in the game before finally turning back winless University of the East, 68-51, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“It was a little bit frustrating in the first half because we didn’t play well as a team. It’s a good thing there was a halftime break. We had the opportunity to regroup,” said Black.
He seemed happy about nailing his 100th win as the Ateneo head coach since 2005.
“It’s a pretty good accomplishment but I’d rather win the championship,” said the former Detroit Piston.
It was the fifth win in six outings for Ateneo, seeking a fifth straight championship under Black, who played and coached in the PBA from 1981 to 2003.
The Warriors are winless in four games, and for a while they looked headed for an upset. They even led in the first half, which ended with Ateneo barely ahead, 37-34.
Ateneo started to pull away in the third quarter, and was way ahead, 64-44, early in the fourth.
UE coach Jerry Codiñera fielded all his 16 players in his lineup, hoping to find the right combination. But 10 of them failed to score a single point.
Earlier, the UST Tigers, a team with a rich winning tradition in the UAAP, roared to their third straight win, beating La Salle in double overtime, 84-82.
“Naka-tsamba na naman (Another fluke),” said UST coach Pido Jarencio as he entered the press room, carrying a 3-1 record for the 2006 champions.
The Tigers lost their opening game to Far Eastern U by a point, then won three in a row, beating Ateneo, 71-70, National University, 77-70, and now La Salle.