Alperen Sengun had a game-high 28 points and 3 blocks, but it wasn’t quite enough in Turkey’s close loss to Germany in the EuroBasket final. But the Houston star did earn all-tournament honors.
With Houston Rockets star Alperen Sengun playing for his native country, Turkey lost an 88-83 heartbreaker (box score) to Dennis Schroder and Germany during Sunday’s FIBA EuroBasket 2025 final.
Even with the loss, the second-place finish was Turkey’s best international tournament showing since 2001. By winning, Germany earned its first EuroBasket title since 1993.
Both teams were a perfect 8-0 in EuroBasket games going in.
Turkey’s offense was in rhythm early, as they quickly built a 13-2 lead. Turkish forward Cedi Osman made a pair of 3-pointers, guard Shane Larkin added 5 points, and Sengun made a hook shot. Germany responded with a 7-0 run of its own as part of a 22-9 run to end the quarter.
Sengun’s first-quarter offense was limited, scoring only 3 points on 1-of-3 shooting (33.3%), but still made his impact felt by blocking three shots. German forwards Franz Wagner and Isaac Bonga led the way in the first quarter, giving their team a 24-22 lead.
With Turkey trailing 32-30 midway through the second quarter, Sengun checked back in and made two layups on consecutive possessions, including one while being fouled. Later in the quarter, the Turkish big man had an even stronger sequence with a fadeaway, a transition 3-pointer off of a Schroder turnover, and another jumper. Sengun scored 10 points in a row for Turkey during this stretch and shot a perfect 5-of-5 in the frame.
Turkey led 46-40 at halftime, as Sengun had 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting (66.7%).
With Sengun in foul trouble, Germany started the second half with 10-3 run to edge back in front. Sengun then checked back in and immediately made a jumper to regain Turkey’s lead. A few possessions later, Sengun made a layup off a turnover and got fouled for a three-point play, putting his team further in front. They led by a point entering the final frame.
Early in the fourth quarter, a jumper by Sengun and a subsequent Osman 3-pointer gave Turkey a 72-66 lead. From there, it was largely back-and-forth until the closing moments.
Out of a timeout, Germany responded with a 5-0 run. Sengun and Osman, who led Turkey in scoring, answered with two layups.
With 1:49 left and Sengun on the bench, former Rockets center Daniel Theis connected on a huge 3-pointer to give Germany an 82-81 lead. But veteran guard Shane Larkin responded with a layup with just under 100 seconds remaining, giving Turkey a one-point advantage.
With 1:15 left, a Schroder layup put Germany in front for good, 84-83. Sengun missed a potential go-ahead layup and then Schroder came up big again, making a clutch jumper in the final minute.
Out of a late timeout, Sengun’s attempt at a game-tying 3-pointer missed right, and Schroder then made both free throws to ice the game.
Sengun finished with a game-high 28 points on 11-of-22 shooting (50.0%), including 1-of-3 from 3-point range (33.3%). He added 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. Bonga led Germany in scoring with 20 points while making all four of his 3-pointers, while Franz Wagner tallied 18 points and 8 rebounds. Dennis Schroder, who was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament, had 16 points and 12 assists.
Sengun likely missed out on MVP honors due to the loss, but he was named to the all-tournament team alongside four other NBA names: Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece; Luka Doncic of Slovenia; and Schroder and Wagner of Germany.
Perhaps most importantly for the Rockets, Sengun did not appear to suffer any injury during the tournament, and he should be all systems go when Houston opens its training camp for the 2025-26 NBA season on Tuesday, September 30.