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EuroBasket Showdown: Turkey and Germany Clash for Championship Glory!

Published 5 hours ago3 minute read
Precious Eseaye
Precious Eseaye
EuroBasket Showdown: Turkey and Germany Clash for Championship Glory!

Turkey is set to compete in the EuroBasket final for the first time in 24 years, preparing to challenge World Cup champion Germany for the coveted gold medal. The highly anticipated championship game will take place on Sunday in Riga, Latvia. This marks a significant moment for both nations, as Turkey aims for only its second EuroBasket medal, having previously secured silver when hosting the tournament in 2001. Germany, on the other hand, is looking for its fourth medal, following a gold in 1993, silver in 2005, and a bronze in the most recent EuroBasket in 2022.

Both teams demonstrated their formidable strength in the semifinals. Turkey secured its spot in the final with a commanding 94-68 victory over Greece on Friday. The Turkish team broke the game open with a decisive 12-0 run that lasted just 2:19 in the second quarter, establishing a 45-24 lead. By halftime, they were up 49-31, largely due to Greece's 12 turnovers which Turkey converted into 17 points, while Turkey had only two giveaways in the first half. Key players for Turkey included Ercan Osmani, who led with 28 points, Cedi Osman contributing 17 points, Alperen Sengun with an impressive 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists, and Shane Larkin adding 14 points and 5 assists. For Greece, Kostas Sloukas scored 15 points, and superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was limited to 12 points and 12 rebounds in 30 minutes.

Germany advanced to the final by defeating Finland 98-86 in their semifinal clash. Dennis Schroder was instrumental in Germany's win, scoring 26 points and dishing out 12 assists, including four 3-pointers and a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line. Franz Wagner also had a strong performance with 22 points, featuring back-to-back 3-pointers that helped Germany build its largest lead at 49-30 in the second quarter. Finland saw Olivier Nkamhoua lead with 22 points, while Lauri Markkanen contributed 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting. Despite Finland closing within six points late in the third quarter, Germany ultimately pulled away.

The upcoming final promises to be a thrilling encounter, as both Germany and Turkey enter with undefeated 8-0 records in the tournament. This sets up a scenario where the winner will become only the second undefeated EuroBasket champion in the last nine instances of the tournament, a feat previously achieved by Slovenia in 2017. The two teams had a friendly matchup before this EuroBasket commenced at the DBB Supercup, where Germany narrowly edged out Turkey 73-71 on August 15. Meanwhile, Greece and Finland will face each other on Sunday to compete for the bronze medal.

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