By Semih Tuna/ info@eurohoops.net
Riga, Latvia – Dennis Schroder overcame a slow start in the Final of EuroBasket 2025 with consecutive clutch efforts for Germany in an 88-83 victory versus Turkiye.
The 31-year-old combo guard of the Sacramento Kings in the NBA forced the 15th and last lead change of the gold-medal game with 1:18 on the clock, and added a midrange jumper for a three-point advantage with 18.9 seconds remaining. Following a missed three-pointer by Alperen Sengun on the opposite end of the court in Xiaomi Arena, two free throws with 8.3 seconds left sealed the deal on Sunday. Therefore, the reigning world champions captured EuroBasket gold for the second time, following the 1993 triumph, after already securing a fourth medal in the country’s history.
Alex Mumbru sat out the preliminary round, but he returned as head coach before handing play-calling duties to Alan Ibrahimagic. Nevertheless, the Spanish tactician became the fourth individual to win EuroBasket as both player and head coach, following Panagiotis Giannakis, Frank Lubin, and Feliksas Kriauciunas. Besides the necessary coaching adjustments, Johannes Voigtmann was sidelined for the majority of the tournament due to injury.
Despite being limited to two points in the first half, the Most Valuable Player of the tournament ended up with a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double, alongside one steal, lasting 34 minutes. In contrast, Franz Wagner put up all of his 18 points before the break. Isaac Bonga registered a team-high 20 points, including eight in the final ten minutes, to go with five rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal. Tristan da Silva chipped in 13 more points.
On the wrong end of the nail-biter, Sengun put up a game-high 28 points behind 11/22 from the field, alongside three blocks, three assists, and three rebounds. Cedi Osman followed with 23 points contributing to a 67% of the total points for the team guided by Ergin Ataman between the two leading scorers.
Over the first 30 minutes in the Latvian capital, only five players scored for Turkiye, with Ercan Osmani and Kenan Sipahi joining the list in the fourth period.
Photo Credit: FIBA