Turkey – Latvia: Sengun and Osman lead Turks to dominant display in Riga
Turkey struck hard in their EuroBasket 2025 opener by dominating Latvia (93-73) in front of over 11,000 spectators at Arena Riga. Led by Alperen Sengun and Cedi Osman, Ergin Ataman’s men sent a clear message for the rest of the competition.
A thunderous start, Latvia quickly overwhelmed
From the tip-off, Turkey showed their intentions with a quick dunk from Ercan Osmani. The Latvians stayed close until halftime, but Turkey’s outside shooting blew the game open after the break. Three-pointers from Cedi Osman and Shane Larkin allowed Turkey to build a decisive lead (+22 with seven minutes remaining).
Sengun, team cornerstone
While Osman finished as top scorer (20 points), Turkey could count on a complete performance from Alperen Sengun (16 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists for a 23 PIR). Kenan Sipahi also shone with 19 points and five three-pointers, his personal EuroBasket record. Overall, the Turks were incredibly efficient from beyond the arc (15/25), breaking their competition record.
This was just an insane shooting performance from Turkiye 🇹🇷 🔥#EuroBasket x @TBF pic.twitter.com/6e4BCXKIo9
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) August 27, 2025
Porzingis contained, Latvia frustrated
For Latvia, Rihards Lomazs (16 points) was the standout performer off the bench. Kristaps Porzingis (2.18m, 30 years old), well contained by Ercan Osmani and the Turkish defense, was limited to 10 points (3/12 shooting). The atmosphere was electric but the Riga crowd left frustrated after this heavy defeat.
What’s next
Turkey will face the Czech Republic on Friday, while Latvia will try to bounce back against Estonia. Notably, Turkey can expect to win their next three games before playing the « final » for first place in Group A against Serbia. The loser could face the winner of France’s group in the quarter-finals.
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