Germany and Turkiye will play in the final of EuroBasket 2025 on Sunday (PHOTO: FIBA)
Record-setting Ercan Osmani fuels Turkiye past Greece
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What was billed as a EuroBasket 2025 semifinal ‘derby’ ended up being anything but. Turkey blew past Greece with a dominant 94–68 victory, booking its place in the gold medal game, where it will face Germany, who defeated Finland 98–86 in Friday’s semifinals in Riga, Latvia.
This marks Turkey’s first EuroBasket medal since 2001 - and notably, its first medal in a major international competition not played on home soil.
The breakout star for Turkey has been Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward Ercan Osmani, who delivered a stunning 28-point performance - the most ever scored by a Turkish player in the EuroBasket knockout stages. Osmani hit 6 of 8 three-point attempts, including a perfect 4-for-4 in the first half.
In a game that Turkey led from start to finish, Osmani set the tone early with 14 points in the first quarter, helping his team build a double-digit lead. By halftime, the margin had ballooned to 20, and Turkey never looked back.
"I am very happy that I contributed very well for this team," a humble Osmani said. He also recorded 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block. His performance even surpassed his EuroLeague career high of 25 points, which he set last December in Efes’s win over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade.
"Ercan is an unbelievable player,” said Shane Larkin in a postgame interview with the official EuroBasket website. Larkin, who added 14 points and 5 assists in the win, praised his longtime teammate.
“[Osmani]’s been on my team for a few years at Efes, and I have been saying for many years that he has a lot of quality. For him to be able to put on a performance like that on the world stage in front of all the media and everything I am extremely happy for him."
Cedi Osman, a Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens forward who was questionable for the game due to injury, played 34 minutes and scored 17 points.
Turkiye, guided by Panathinaikos head coach Ergin Ataman, now has a chance to make history and capture its first gold medal in major competition. To do that, Ataman’s troops will need to beat Germany. Both teams will enter Sunday’s gold-medal contest with a perfect 8-0 record in the tournament.