For the first time since the introduction of the Round of 16, Turkiye has advanced to the quarterfinals (PHOTO: FIBA)
EuroLeague quartet decisive as Turkiye makes history at EuroBasket
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3 Mins read
It wasn't always pretty but Turkiye's 85-79 win over Sweden on Saturday afternoon means it can now prepare for a quarterfinal clash against Poland or Bosnia and Herzegovina at EuroBasket 2025.
Turkiye last reached the last eight at EuroBasket in 2009, and this is the first time that it has advanced from the Round of 16 since the change in format in 2015. While it has made it out of the group on every occasion since 2015, it has not had much success in the last 16, twice falling to France (2015, 2022) and once to Spain (2017).
There was a lot of excitement surrounding Turkiye heading into its Round of 16 meeting with Sweden, particularly after beating Serbia 95-90 in the final group-stage game, yet its first-half performance left much to be desired.
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens forward Cedi Osman started the game red-hot by scoring 11 of his team's 20 first-quarter points, but three fouls in the first period meant that he quickly had to take a spot on the bench. After 10 minutes Turkiye trailed 20-23, with Anadolu Efes Istanbul's Ercan Osmani also contributing 4 points.
Osman ended up sitting for all but seven seconds in the second quarter, which made the 9 points from Efes duo Shane Larkin (3 points) and Sehmus Hazer (6) all the more valuable for Turkiye coach Ergin Ataman. Still, trailing 37-42 at the break, a big improvement was needed in the final 20 minutes.
That is exactly what Turkiye got as it finished the game with five players scoring 10 points or more, led by Alperen Sengun with 24. But the combined 52 points from Osman (17 points), Osmani (14), Hazer (11) and Larkin (10) proved crucial as Turkiye managed to come from behind before later holding off a late Sweden charge.
Osmani and Hazer also joined forces for 15 rebounds, which together with Sengun's 16 helped Turkiye win the rebounding battle 45-33 – a key factor in a tight game such as this one.
An improvement will be needed if Turkiye is to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2001, when it won a silver medal, but triumphing in these types of games – winning without playing at its best – is the sign of a good team. And the longer Turkiye's run at the tournament goes, the more Coach Ataman's expertise in winning EuroLeague championships will come to the fore.