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Türkiye’s men’s national basketball team crushed Greece 94-68 on Friday in the semifinals to book a spot in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 final in Riga, Latvia, reaching the title game for the first time in 24 years.
The championship game will take place on Sunday, September 14, in Riga, Latvia, where Türkiye will face defending world champion Germany.
Türkiye topped Group A with a perfect 5-0 record before eliminating Sweden in the round of 16 and Poland in the quarterfinals. The semifinal win over Greece in Arena Riga extended this unbeaten run, sending the team to the final on the back of eight consecutive victories.
The Turkish side opened the game with aggressive defense and scored seven unanswered points in the first two minutes. Greece responded through Tyler Dorsey’s three-point shooting, but baskets from Ercan Osmani helped Türkiye pull ahead. By the eighth minute, the margin reached double digits at 22-10, and Türkiye closed the first quarter with a 26-16 lead, led by Osmani’s 14 points.
In the second quarter, Greece attempted to regroup but struggled against Türkiye’s pressure. Capitalizing on consecutive turnovers, Türkiye extended its lead with points inside the paint and from beyond the arc, opening a 45-24 advantage in the 18th minute. The team entered halftime ahead 49-31.
Türkiye maintained its dominance after the break, executing well-organized plays to stretch the lead to 64-38 by the 26th minute. Although Greece narrowed the gap to 21 points late in the third quarter through Kostas Sloukas, Türkiye entered the final period with a 72-51 lead.
The fourth quarter saw Türkiye play with composure, steadily increasing the margin and sealing a 94-68 win.
This result marks only the second time in history that Türkiye has advanced to the EuroBasket final.
On the same day, reigning world champion Germany defeated Finland 98-86 in the other semifinal, setting up a final clash between Türkiye and Germany in Riga on Sunday.
Türkiye’s only previous appearance in the final came in 2001, when it hosted the tournament and lost 78-69 to Yugoslavia. The 2025 campaign has already made history, as the team has won eight straight games for the first time in a EuroBasket, surpassing its previous record of seven consecutive victories in 1957.
The semifinal triumph also ended a 15-year drought against Greece in official competitions. Türkiye’s last win came at the 2010 FIBA World Cup group stage in Istanbul, while Greece had won the four meetings since then. The Riga victory gave Türkiye its fourth win in 15 official matches against its long-standing rival.
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