Turkey and Germany advance to the EuroBasket quarterfinals

By Canadian Press on September 6, 2025.

RIGA, Latvia (AP) — NBA All-Star Alperen Sengun scored 24 points as Turkey held off Sweden to win 85-79 and reach the EuroBasket quarterfinals on Saturday.

World Cup winner Germany struggled early against Portugal before pulling away for an 85-58 victory.

Sengun, a forward with the Houston Rockets, added 16 rebounds and six assists in a stellar performance against Sweden, which drew level at 76-76 thanks to Ludvig Hakanson’s 3-pointer with just under three minutes left.

Hakanson led the Swedes with 16 points, while Panathinaikos forward Cedi Osman chipped in with 17 points for Turkey.

Germany overcomes shooting struggles

Portugal led 32-31 at halftime and only trailed by one point after three quarters before Germany limited them to just 7 points the rest of the way.

The Germans struggled to deal with Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Germany captain Dennis Schröder, who faced racial abuse during a game against Lithuania a week ago, and Franz Wagner both scored 16 points despite shooting a combined 0 for 11 from 3-point range. In the first half, Germany made only 1 of 18 attempts from beyond the arc.

A moment’s silence was held before tipoff in memory of the victims of the Lisbon streetcar accident in Portugal.

Coming up: Nikola Jokic leads Serbia vs. Finland

In Saturday’s other round-of-16 matchups, it was Lithuania vs. Latvia, and Serbia vs. Finland.

Turkey will play either Poland or Bosnia and Herzegovina for a spot in the semifinals, while Germany will take on either Italy or Slovenia, which boasts the in-form Luka Dončić.

Defending champion Spain was eliminated Thursday in the group stage by Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greece.

Olympic silver medalist France and its super-deep bench faces Georgia on Sunday, with the winner of that game playing either Serbia or Finland in the semis.

In Sunday’s other matches, it is Poland vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina; Italy vs. Slovenia, and Greece vs. Israel.

The quarterfinals begin next Tuesday.

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The Associated Press