Ralph Cu kept it simple after a solid showing enabled Ginebra to draw first blood versus San Miguel in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals on Sunday night.
“Stay ready lang naman kami lagi ng second group,” the versatile forward offered on the heels of their 99-90 victory at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Kings shot well from three-point distance, knocking down 12 — a quarter of which came from Cu himself. That included crucial hits that helped the crowd darlings take the lead for good in the fourth, much to their fans’ delight.
The former second-round pick out of De La Salle sank half of the four treys he and Norbert Torres nailed consecutively for the 84-81 edge entering the final seven minutes, which served as a prelude to their strong finish.
“‘Yun ‘yung sinasabi ni Coach Tim na we want our first unit fresh so nabibigyan kami ng extended minutes ngayon. Making the most out of the opportunity lang kami — not just me, kahit sina Jayson, sina Kuya Nards (Pinto),” he said.
Cu would go on to end the night with 13 points on a 66.7-percent accuracy from deep, and also had two rebounds, an assist, and a steal off the bench.
(C) PBA Images
He’s aware that it’s been a while since he shot this well, which left him feeling satisfied to do his part, especially in the semis.
But it wasn’t all out of luck. The 28-year-old refuses to lose confidence in taking shots, as he knows he’s always putting in the work.
“It feels really good siyempre, lalo nakakatulong ka sa team mo. And nakaka-shoot ka, sa semis pa,” said Cu, who also finished without a turnover.
“I think nagawa ko naman na before so tinu-trust ko lang yung work ko lagi,” he added.
“So kahit di ko magawa in other games, confident lang ako lagi.”
Still, Cu refuses to get too high, choosing to move on and set his sights on Game 2 this Wednesday, where they anticipate a retaliation.
“One game lang naman, race to four games,” he said.
“Move on na kami. And we’re preparing for the next game on Wednesday.”
#WATCH: MAKING THE MOST OF OUR OPPORTUNITY 🏀
Ralph Cu hopes to sustain his hot start to the #PBA50 semis series the rest of the way#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/4lhAVTnW3W
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/ETOUdxJ3wM
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) January 4, 2026
