Turkey qualifies for EuroBasket semi-finals, first time in 24 years
EuroBasket - Turkey qualified for their first EuroBasket semi-final since 2001, beating Poland 91-77 this Tuesday September 9 in the first quarter-final of the competition in Riga. Alperen Sengun recorded the fifth triple-double in Euro history (since 1995).
Photo Credit : Lilian Bordron
Since hosting EuroBasket in 2001, Turkey had never reached the semi-finals. Led by Alperen Sengun, Ergin Ataman’s team qualified for the final four of the European championship this Tuesday September 9 in Riga, Latvia.
Although tied at the start (19 all after one quarter), they then pulled away against Poland before rebuilding their lead when Jordan Loyd and Mateusz Ponitka (19 points each) brought their team back within 10 points. Their 91-77 victory allows them to approach the semi-finals confidently, against the winner of Greece – Lithuania.
HOW GOOD IS THIS TEAM? 🇹🇷#EuroBasket | #MakeYourMark pic.twitter.com/TqK3DcsVNw
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 9, 2025
Sengun, youngest player in history to achieve a triple-double at the Euro
After a tight first quarter, Ergin Ataman’s players took control after an Alperen Sengun dunk, triggering a 22-10 run before halftime (46-32). The Poles tried to come back in the last quarter, but never reduced the gap to less than 8 points (70-78).
Hero of the evening, Sengun recorded a historic triple-double with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, adding 3 steals to his stat line. He joins a short list of players who have achieved such a feat at EuroBasket, alongside Toni Kukoc and Luka Doncic.
Youngest to do it in EuroBasket history.
ALPEREN SENGUN DROPPED A TRIPLE-DOUBLE IN 25 MINUTES. 🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/V2eP4S7FOg
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 9, 2025
Despite a combative Mateusz Ponitka (19 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds) and Jordan Loyd (19 points on 5/11 shooting in 34 minutes), Poland’s run ends in the quarters after a great competition. For Turkey, the bad news came from Cedi Osman’s foot injury, though he fortunately returned at the end of the game.
Turkey thus extends their winning streak to seven games in the competition, matching their best historical run, and now awaits in the semi-finals the winner between Greece and Lithuania. This is the national team’s best result in international competition since the 2010 World Cup final, lost to Kevin Durant’s United States in Istanbul.
In Riga,
Gabriel Pantel-Jouve est le fondateur et rédacteur en chef de BeBasket, qu’il anime depuis 2010 (sous le nom de Catch & Shoot). Passé par l’Ecole Publique de Journaliste de Tours, puis deux universités en Amérique du Nord, il a pu développer son expertise sur le basket français, de la Ligue Nationale aux divisions amateurs, durant ces 20 dernières années. En parallèle, il est aussi engagé dans le développement de clubs du côté de Montpellier.
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