Türkiye taste 2nd win in Group A clash against Bulgaria in EuroBasket

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye on Saturday beat Bulgaria with a 101-87 score to taste their second victory in the EuroBasket 2022.

Türkiye led 31-29 at the end of the first quarter but Bulgaria had a good start in the second period, building a 23-19 lead.

The Turkish team displayed an emphatic performance at the end of the third quarter, producing 25 points at Tbilisi Arena in the Georgian capital. That quarter ended with 75-71 in favor of Türkiye as Bulgaria scored 19 points.

In the fourth period, Ergin Ataman's side controlled the game for the rest of the time to bag a 101-87 win.

Five players registered in double digits for the winning side.

Cleveland Cavaliers star Cedi Osman was the highest scorer for his team, playing with 25 points and eight rebounds.

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun scored 20 points and nine rebounds, while Shane Larkin produced 13 points and nine assists.

Bugrahan Tuncer and Sehmus Hazer were Türkiye's other double-digit scorers with 10 points each.

Aleksandar Vezenkov and Dee Bost made a double-double for the Bulgarian national team.

Vezenkov finished with 28 points and 15 rebounds, while Bost produced 12 points and 13 assists.

On Thursday, Türkiye defeated Montenegro 72-68 in the first match of Group A.

Türkiye are competing in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, where they will face Georgia, Belgium, and Spain in the first stage of the tournament, and top four teams from each group will move to the final stage in Berlin.

- Group A fixtures
Sept. 4:
Bulgaria - Montenegro
Spain - Bulgaria
Türkiye - Georgia
Sept. 6:
Belgium - Türkiye
Montenegro - Spain
Georgia - Bulgaria
Sept. 7:
Türkiye - Spain
Bulgaria - Belgium
Georgia - Montenegro