Germany crowned EuroBasket champions after thrilling win over Turkiye
RIGA: Germany pulled off a stunning 88-83 victory over Turkiye on Sunday to win the EuroBasket title for the first time since 1993, with point guard Dennis Schroeder draining a late jump shot and then adding a pair of high-pressure free throws in a thrilling climax. The reigning World Cup champions put in a gritty defensive display, with Isaac Bonga coming up with key plays down the stretch before Schroeder put the team on his back and carried them over the line with a late-game point-guard masterclass. Both sides began with a barrage of three-point attempts, blocks and bruising challenges in a high-octane first half that saw Turkiye take a six-point lead into the break, but that lead was quickly erased at the start of the third period as the Germans roared back. Hampered after collecting three fouls over the first three periods, Turkiye’s Alperen Sengun came back into the game early in the fourth quarter and made a tough hook shot before taking a charge on the defensive end to preserve a slender three-point lead. Cedi Osman went back up the floor and hit his sixth three of the night to double their lead as the momentum swung, but they could not shake the Germans off and when Sengun picked up his fourth foul with just under four minutes remaining, Bonga gave Germany a one-point lead on the next play. With the game reaching boiling point, Schroeder scored with a driving layup before Bonga grabbed an offensive rebound and Schroeder made the most of it, hitting a pull-up jumper with 19 seconds left to give the Germans a three-point lead. Sengun tried to level, heaving a three-pointer with Daniel Theis’s hand in his face, but the shot kissed the front of the rim, and Osman fouled Schroeder after the rebound, with the