Cu, Torres ignite Ginebra in Game 1 semis dub over SMB

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings banked on timely shooting from their bench mob to draw first blood over the San Miguel Beermen, 99-90, in Game 1 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals on Jan. 4, 2026, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

After all the countless duels between the two sister teams in the past decade, everyone already anticipated a game of runs and exchanges of momentum, but the only question that the majority always takes into consideration is: What team will bring something new to the table that will change the complexion of the showdown?

Rest assured that Ginebra head coach Tim Cone and the rest of the staff did their homework, as they were able to find a gem on the bench, leaning on the three-point shooting avalanche from Ralph Cu and Norbert Torres that put them ahead for good to secure the opening game of the grueling seven-game series.

Down by four points in the remaining 41 seconds of the third quarter, Cu kicked off Ginebra’s resurgence after draining a long bomb from the left elbow to pull the Gin Kings within a point, 72-73.

Torres then later joined the three-point party, as the duo’s offensive lift generated a momentum-changing 15-8 run that put Ginebra in the driver’s seat until the final buzzer sounded.

Ginebra’s decision to field the frontcourt tandem with longer minutes was a clever counterattack by Cone, opting to stick with spacing and shooting that made life hard for SMB’s June Mar Fajardo, who was dragged out on successive occasions due to the efficient pick-and-pop play.

Most of Cu and Torres’ outside hits were from open looks—an adjustment that Ginebra risked—that made Fajardo a defensive liability for the Beermen.

However, due to his monster outing, head coach Leo Austria chose his poison, and that was to put Fajardo inside despite the defensive lapses he was causing whenever Ginebra ran the pick-and-pop for Cu and Torres.

After the spark that the big man duo provided, Ginebra’s core of Scottie Thompson, Stephen Holt, and RJ Abarrientos then iced the game in the final five minutes of the final period.

It was Ginebra who first took control of the game, leading by as much as 12 points due to their efficient shooting from the three-point line.

However, SMB answered back through the efforts of Fajardo, CJ Perez, and Marcio Lassiter, which turned what was once a one-sided showing into a nip-and-tuck affair.

When the game shifted into a tense 50-50 matchup, Ginebra turned to their unsung heroes, while SMB could only watch Cu and Torres let it fly from the parking lot.

Cu supplied 13 points, while Torres added eight for Ginebra, but it was Abarrientos who top-scored the squad with 23 markers, backstopped by Thompson’s all-around outing of 22 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

On the other hand, the Gin Kings spoiled Fajardo’s dominant double-double performance of 27 points and 23 rebounds in almost 36 minutes of playing time.

Can the Beermen bounce back and avoid a 0-2 hole on Jan. 7? Or will the pumped-up Ginebra squad sustain their momentum in Game 2?