By Semih Tuna/ info@eurohoops.net
Riga, Latvia – With Alperen Sengun taking over, Turkiye routed Czechia, 92-78, in Xiaomi Arena.
The 23-year-old center of the Houston Rockets fell one assist shy of becoming the fifth member on the all-time list of players with a triple-double in EuroBasket. Behind 8/9 two-pointers, he ended up with a 23-point, 12-rebound double-double, alongside nine assists, two blocks, and one steal on Friday.
“It’s not a big deal,” Sengun responded to a question about missing a triple-double during the postgame press conference, “I was trying to tell him [Ergin Ataman], but he didn’t understand me. It’s OK. We have so many games left, so I have a chance to do it. If they keep doubling me, I will find the right play.”
“Actually, I took him out to rest, because tomorrow night we have one more game,” mentioned head coach Ergin Ataman, “If somebody had told me, I could have requested a timeout to change the lineup. But nobody told me.”
Apart from Sengun, Cedi Osman followed with 21 points, including 11 in the third period. Ercan Osmani chipped in 16 more points.
Requiring a response to a slow start, Ataman was issued a technical foul that stopped transition after complaining to the referees and thus drew a reaction from his players, amounting to a 14-1 sprint midway through the second quarter. From falling into an early eight-point hole with Czechia connecting five three-pointers over the first six minutes and trailing for nearly ten minutes, Turkiye got control of the game.
With 1:12 left in the fourth quarter, Kenan Sipahi picked up a calf injury. During the second quarter, Sehmus Hazer was forced to an early exit due to a left ankle injury. Pending further medical evaluation, both are questionable to play against Portugal on Saturday, with the team guided by Ataman looking to improve to 3-0.
With three outings left in the round-robin schedule of the preliminary round of EuroBasket 2025, Diego Ocampo’s side went down to 0-2. Scoring 23 points with 9/13 from the field, Martin Peterka stood against Turkiye.
Photo Credit: FIBA