By Semih Tuna/ info@eurohoops.net
Riga, Latvia – Turkey is the first semifinalist of EuroBasket 2025!
Led by Alperen Sengun, who recorded a historic triple-double, Ergin Ataman’s side defeated Poland at the Xiaomi Arena 91-77, securing a spot among the four best teams in Riga.
Şengün finished the game with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, becoming only the sixth player ever to record a triple-double at EuroBasket, after Stojan Vranković, Toni Kukoč, Rareș Mandache, Mateusz Ponitka, and Luka Dončić, who also accomplished the feat in 2025.
“Very happy, and I believe journalists will be happy too, because finally, Alperen Şengün recorded a triple-double tonight—they can write that another player in history achieved a triple-double,” coach Ataman said after the game.
Şengün became the youngest player ever to record a EuroBasket triple-double, less than two months after his 23rd birthday. He received strong support against Poland, with Shane Larkin and Şahmus Hazer contributing 13 points each—Larkin also added five assists and five rebounds.
“We will play a historic semifinal, because Turkey has only reached the semifinals once before, in Istanbul 2001, and this is the first semifinal since then. Now we are waiting to see which team we will face,” Ataman added.
Kenan Sipahi scored 11 points, while Furkan Korkmaz and Cedi Osman each had 10. Osman briefly left the court with an injury scare in the third period but returned midway through the fourth, showing encouraging signs that it is not serious.
“I was four years old, so I can’t really remember, but I was proud of the team—12 giant men,” Korkmaz said about the last time Turkey reached the EuroBasket semifinals in 2001, as coach Ataman noted.
Poland exited honorably, reaching the quarterfinals, a major achievement. Captain Mateusz Ponitka (6 rebounds, 6 assists) and Jordan Loyd (19 points) led the team, with Michal Sokolowski (13) and Aleksander Dziewa (11) also scoring in double digits.
“It was a few crucial moments that caused this game to go south for us. We were mentally ready to fight for the semis. The situation in the second quarter, Larkin’s tough shot, and one turnover in the game made the difference. We believed until the end. Great respect—and hats off—to my players. What they achieved is remarkable,” Poland’s coach, Igor Milicic, said at the postgame press conference.
Turkey is now waiting for Lithuania or Greece in the 2025 EuroBasket semifinal.