Turkey outplayed Sweden to advance to the EuroBasket 2025 quarterfinals

Turkey's "12 Giant Men" Secure Quarterfinals Berth in EuroBasket 2025

Turkey's national men's basketball team, affectionately known as "12 Giant Men," advanced to the quarterfinals of the EuroBasket 2025 tournament after a hard-fought victory over Sweden. The final score was 85-79.

The game was a closely contested affair, with Sweden holding a slim lead after the first and second quarters. Turkey trailed 23-20 after the first and 42-37 at halftime. However, Turkey's resilience shone through in the second half, as they outscored Sweden 26-13 in the third period to reclaim control of the game.

Cedi Osman, Ercan Osmani, and Alperen Sengun led Turkey's comeback. Osman added 17 points to Turkey's total, while Osmani contributed 14 points and 9 rebounds. Sengun delivered a stellar performance with 24 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists. Sehmus Hazer provided a spark off the bench, scoring 11 points.

Sweden's Ludvig Hakanson and Viktor Gaddefors scored 16 and 15 points respectively, but their efforts were not enough to stop Turkey's second-half surge.

Turkey extended its winning streak in the tournament to six games with this victory. However, head coach Ergin Ataman criticized FIBA for assigning an early morning tip-off to the group-winning team. Ataman argued that the unusual scheduling disrupted biological rhythms and team preparation, fearing it could have cost Turkey the game.

Despite these concerns, Ataman praised his team's resilience and experience for securing the win. Turkey had more assists than Sweden (16 to 22), more offensive rebounds (18 to 7), more rebounds (45 to 33), and more blocks (9 to 5). The field goal percentage was slightly in Sweden's favour, with Turkey shooting at 39% compared to Sweden's 46%.

With this victory, Turkey now stands two wins away from reaching the semifinals and potentially competing for a historic medal. In the quarterfinals, they will face Poland, who won their Round of 16 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina with a score of 80:72. The quarterfinals promise to be an exciting chapter in Turkey's EuroBasket 2025 journey.