Alperen Sengun shines again, Turkey also advances to EuroBasket Round of 16
No surprises in Riga. Alperen Sengun and Turkey easily maintained their perfect record to secure their spot in the Round of 16 with two group games still to play. Coach Ergin Ataman’s team delivered a dominant performance against Portugal, winning 95-54 in a one-sided game.
Perfect first half seals the game
The intensity demanded by Ergin Ataman was present from the start. The Turks built a 24-point lead by halftime, making the rest of the game much easier. While everything was working perfectly for Turkey early in the game, it was the impact of Furkan Korkmaz and Onuralp Bitim coming off the bench in the second quarter that definitively sealed the game’s fate.
Alperen Sengun is enjoying #EuroBasket, we can tell 😂 pic.twitter.com/Gv4I8GagaU
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) August 30, 2025
Their energy, pace, and shooting allowed Turkey to score 29 points in the second quarter, 15 more than Portugal in the same period, burying Mario Gomes’ team’s hopes before they could make the game interesting.
Sengun in MVP race
Alperen Sengun is currently playing at an exceptional level, and the 23-year-old center deserves to be mentioned in MVP discussions. He is the main architect of Turkey’s first 3-0 start at EuroBasket since 2009. Sengun scored all his 20 points in the first half alone, adding 7 rebounds and 5 assists for a 27 efficiency rating, all in just 21 minutes of play, remaining on the bench throughout the fourth quarter.
Offensive efficiency made the difference, with Turkey shooting 60% compared to just 31% for Portugal. The only question in the second half was whether Turkey could reach 100 points for the fourth time in their EuroBasket history, after 2022 (101-87 against Bulgaria), 2015 (111-102 against Iceland) and 1957 (100-54 against Scotland). They didn’t manage to do so.
Turkey continues its historic quest, having already matched their win total from EuroBasket 2022. They will face Estonia before Wednesday’s major clash against Serbia. Portugal, despite Neemias Queta’s 15 points, falls to 2 losses in 3 games.
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