In today’s round of 16 matchup, between Turkey and Sweden, Alperen Sengun led an undefeated Turkey team versus Sweden, who had only won once in group play.
Although Turkey were heavily favored in the matchup, they barely squeaked by, beating Sweden by six, 85-79. Alperen Sengun led the way as usual, with 24 points, 16 rebounds and six assists. Former Cleveland Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman added 17 points of his own, while former Celtics guard Shane Larkin scored ten.
Sengun continues to shine for Turkey, ranking top three for the tournament in assists, rebounds and efficiency. Sengun also ranks sixth in scoring, averaging 22 points. Cedi Osman’s contributions have been plentiful as well, averaging 15.7 points per game.
Turkey however, despite winning the game had a poor shooting performance. As a team, they shot 29.1% from three-point range and 39.1% from the field. Although they shot more free throws than Sweden, they missed nine of them, shooting 71% percent from the line. Despite stronger shooting in every category, Sweden was unable to pick up the win, offering too many second chance points to Turkey. Turkey outrebounded Sweden overall by 12 rebounds and won the battle on the offensive glass 18-7.
Despite this poor showing, Turkey remains the favorites along with Germany for the title, with both being the only undefeated teams remaining in the tournament. Each team resides on opposite sides of the bracket, meaning the two may have the opportunity to meet in the finals.
Turkey will face the winner of Poland vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina in Tuesday’s quarterfinal.
