Turkey secured their first FIBA EuroBasket Final berth since 2001.
On Friday, September 12, Ercan Osmani dropped a stunning 28-point performance to lead Turkey to a historic 94-68 victory over Greece in the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket Semifinals. With the win, Turkey secured their second EuroBasket Final berth, first in 24 years. With his game-play, the Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward added his name to the tournament’s record books for being the highest-ever Turkish scorer in the EuroBasket knockout stages. He grabbed six rebounds, and dished out two assists.
Osmani hit 6-of-8 three-point attempts, and scored 14 of his team’s first 22 points in just eight minutes. He was followed by Cedi Osman, who poured in 17 points, three rebounds, and three assists. Houston Rockets’ center Alperen Sengun was the third-best player for his side, as he scored 15 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists while Shane Larkin contributed 14 points, two rebounds, and five assists.
Greece was led by Kostas Sloukas’ 15 points, three rebounds, and four assists, whereas Giannis Antetokounmpo came up with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. In addition to them, Panagiotis Kalaitzakis dropped 11 points, two rebounds, and one assist.
Turkey and Greece share a fierce rivalry, which dates back to nearly 90 years, one of the oldest in European basketball. Overall, they have played over 68 official and friendly games, where Greece leads the tally 44-24. In the EuroBasket, they hold a 6-3 edge overall. Friday-night’s game was another display of their intense competitiveness, where Turkey dominated the game right from the beginning, and led Greece 26-16 at the end of the first quarter.
While Sengun remained scoreless for the first ten minutes, he started dunking and dishing out assists in the second and the margin between both teams expanded to 20 points. Turkey entered halftime with a solid 49-31 lead, and never looked back. The situation was no different in the second half and the gap between the teams grew to over 26 points in the late third frame. Ergin Ataman’s team entered the final quarter with a 72-55 lead, and eventually ended up winning the game 94-68.
Turkey will lock horns with Germany in the final of the 2025 EuroBasket on Sunday, September 14. Germany recorded a 96-86 win over Finland in the other EuroBasket semi-final. Both teams will enter the game with a perfect 8-0 record in the tournament. While Turkey will aim to win the title for the first time, Germany seeks a second triumph following the 1993 crown.
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