OPQT’s: Sengun leads Turkiye to Group C top spot; Iceland finish on a high

ISTANBUL (Turkiye) – Young star Alperen Sengun produced a dominant performance to lead Turkiye past Ukraine and seal Group C’s top spot, while Iceland ended their campaign with a convincing win over Bulgaria. 

Here’s a wrap of the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul as the curtain came down on Group C action. 

Sengun stars as Turkiye lock up top spot

The battle for top spot in Group C was up for grabs between teams who had already sealed their Semi-Final berths after wins in their opening two games.

Ukraine weren’t overawed as they started fast with a flurry of three-pointers, but could not break away due to a solo effort from Sengun, who exploded for 14 first-quarter points. Sengun continued to bulldoze to the basket as he combined with fellow big man Omer Yurtseven to overpower Ukraine.

Turkiye led by eight at the half, but started to pull away from Ukraine in the third. Sengun produced a rim-shaking slam before Onuralp Bitim hit a three at the buzzer to give Turkiye a 70-55 lead. 

Ukraine wouldn’t roll over but Turkiye had all the answers to prevail 85-72. Sengun produced a two-way masterclass with 30 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 blocks, while Olexandr Mishula led Ukraine with 14 points. 

Iceland earn consolation win over disappointing Bulgaria

These winless teams entered with their Olympic hopes already dashed, but were keen to end their campaign on a high. 

Iceland raced out of the blocks with a 12-4 lead and their hot shooting didn’t relent to storm to a 14-point lead at the first break.

Point guard Elvar Fridriksson fed center Tryggvi Hlinason for easy buckets before Thorir Thorbjarnarson took over with a game-high 17 points off the bench as Iceland cruised to a 93-76 victory. 

Pavlin Ivanov scored 16 points, but it was a disappointing end for Bulgaria who shot less than 40% from the floor. They lost their three games by an average of 21 points. 

Top performers

After a breakout NBA season, Alperen Sengun arrived with much anticipation and he’s lived up to the hype. He was aggressive against Ukraine, relentlessly attacking the rim with his athleticism proving unstoppable as he finished with the highest efficiency of day three with 32. 

Thorir Thorbjarnarson only played 13 minutes in Iceland’s opening two games, but made up for lost time with a terrific performance off the bench to finish with 17 points on 8 of 10 shooting. The 25-year-old had an efficiency of 22 to merit more minutes in the future. 

Returning after missing Bulgaria’s defeat to Turkiye, Brandon Young was a shining light for his team and tried hard on both ends with 15 points, 7 assists and 5 steals. 

Turkey center Omer Yurtseven controlled the paint and dominated the glass, finishing with 15 rebounds to go along with 11 points. He hit a key jumper down the stretch to snuff out Ukraine’s challenge. 

Center Tryggvi Hlinason capped a strong tournament with 14 points and 8 rebounds to ignite Iceland early against Bulgaria. He averaged team highs of 13 points and 7 rebounds across three games. 

Picture of the Day

 

Alperen Sengun wasn’t just deadly on offense, he was also a nightmare for Ukraine on defense as underlined by 5 steals and 3 blocks. 

Highlight of the Day

Iceland playmaker Aegir Steinarsson produced the play of the day with a dime through the legs of Ivan Alipiev to find Styrmir Thrastarson for the slam. 

FIBA