Thanks to Emir Preldzic’s 15 points and six assists, Turkey remained undefeated in Group A with a convincing 90-61 win over Great Britain.
Turkey held Great Britain to just three points in the opening six minutes as Chris Finch’s side struggled to find their rhythm early on. Luol Deng was the only GB player that found his stride.
Deng finished with 22 points, leading all scorers for the second night running.
Turkey though piled on the points, at one point leading 17-3. They led at the end of the first 22-10, and looked in firm control.
It was more of the same in the second, as the Turks started on a 9-2 run to extend their lead further – and further pulled away by racing out to a 13-0 run, which was part of a 20-4 spurt which killed the game off as a contest.
Britain pulled back with mini runs of their own, led by an exhausted Deng – but by this point – Turkey were in a commanding 44-26 half-time lead.
The introduction of 18-year-old Devon Van Oostrum for Great Britain was promising as the Dutch-born British national brought new life into the GB side, even if pride was the only thing at stake.
Van Oostrum announced himself onto the Eurobasket scene with a drive and score on Ersan Illyasova. Kyle Johnson also impressed on his competitive debut, scoring 10 points for GB.
But this was Turkey’s day, as they kept their consistency to record an easy win.
