Türkiye’s path to the Quarter-Finals of EuroBasket 2025 officially opened with an 85-79 victory over Sweden in Riga on Saturday, though it was far from the straightforward result they might have expected.
Coach Ergin Ataman’s side had to overcome a slow start and a late Swedish push before sealing the win in the closing minutes.
Sweden shocked Türkiye in the first half by hitting nine of their first ten shots, racing to a 44-37 lead at halftime. Ataman responded after the break by adjusting his lineup, sparking a dramatic turnaround with a 14-0 run that flipped the score to a 51-44 advantage.
By the end of the third quarter, Türkiye had stretched the lead to double digits.
Still, Sweden refused to bow out quietly. Ludvig Hakanson and Simon Birgander – long the backbone of the team – helped tie the game twice in the final quarter, pushing Türkiye into a tense closing stretch.
That was when Alperen Sengun imposed himself. The NBA All-Star delivered a personal 6-0 run in crunch time, highlighted by a block and a powerful dunk that put Türkiye up 82-76 with just over a minute left.
Cedi Osman, who scored 17 points, provided critical offense in the opening stages when Türkiye struggled to find rhythm.
“It’s impressive to win the game even when we’re not at our best,” Osman admitted afterward, pointing to the team’s resilience despite their uneven performance.
Sengun, however, was the undeniable star. He finished with 24 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists, marking his third double-double of the tournament – making him the first Turkish player to record that many in a single EuroBasket since Omer Asik in 2011.
With those numbers, he was named TCL Player of the Game.
Türkiye’s dominance on the boards proved decisive as they grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, translating them into a 16-6 edge in second-chance points.
For Ataman, the victory was a milestone: Türkiye reached the Quarter-Finals of EuroBasket for the first time since 2009, and their six straight wins marked their longest streak since 1957.
“We came here with a great roster, all players had a great motivation,” Ataman said. “We sacrificed from the last week of July, we worked very hard and now we are ready to fight for the medal.”
Shane Larkin also offered perspective on what nearly became an upset.
“Today was a great reminder. At the end of the day, every team that made it to this point is very talented, every team can come out and beat you. Maybe we were a little full of ourselves, maybe we were a little too confident going into this game, and this was a great reminder for us that it doesn’t matter who you’re playing against, every team can beat you.”
Despite their exit, Sweden earned admiration with five players scoring in double figures. Birgander posted 14 points, 13 rebounds, and added three blocks and two steals in a performance that underlined their fight until the very end.
Türkiye will next face either Poland or Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Quarter-Finals, with a chance to equal their historic seven-game winning streak from 1957.
Sengun's monster game leads Türkiye to the Quarter-Finals!#EuroBasket | #MakeYourMark
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 6, 2025
