Türkiye’s men’s national basketball team advanced to the semifinals of EuroBasket 2025 with a 91-77 victory over Poland in their quarterfinal matchup Tuesday at Arena Riga.
Türkiye started the game with Shane Larkin, Şehmus Hazer, Cedi Osman, Alperen Şengün and Ercan Osmani, while Poland fielded Aleksander Balcerowski, Michal Sokolowski, Jordan Loyd, Mateusz Ponitka and Kamil Laczynski.
The first quarter ended 19-19 after both sides traded baskets, but Türkiye took control in the second period with a 5-0 run and went into halftime up 46-32. The “12 Giant Men” dominated on both ends in the third quarter, extending the lead to 65-50. Despite Poland’s late push with 3-pointers, Türkiye maintained its momentum to seal a 91-77 win.
Seven Turkish players scored in double digits. Alperen Şengün led with a standout triple-double, posting 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Şehmus Hazer and Shane Larkin added 13 points each, Kenan Sipahi scored 11, while Cedi Osman, Furkan Korkmaz and Ercan Osmani chipped in 10 apiece. For Poland, Jordan Loyd and Mateusz Ponitka each had 19 points, but it wasn’t enough.
The victory sends Türkiye to the semifinals of the European Championship for the first time in 24 years. The national team last reached the final four in EuroBasket 2001, when they hosted the tournament and won a silver medal after falling 78-69 to Yugoslavia in the championship game.
Türkiye will face the winner of the Lithuania-Greece quarterfinal on Friday, Sept. 12, in the semifinals.
