Istanbul, March 3, 2026 – The Europe Today: The Turkiye men’s national basketball team secured a decisive 94–86 victory over Serbia on Monday to advance to round two of the FIBA 2027 World Cup European Qualifiers.
In the Group C encounter at the Turkcell Basketball Development Center, Türkiye started strongly, winning the opening quarter 28–21. Serbia responded in the second period, taking it 23–20, but the hosts entered halftime with a narrow 48–44 lead.
Maintaining their composure after the break, Türkiye delivered a dominant third quarter performance, outscoring Serbia 28–19 to extend their advantage. Although Serbia edged the final quarter 23–18, the Turkish side held firm to secure the home victory.
Forward Tarik Biberovic led the scoring for Türkiye with an impressive 21 points, along with five assists and five rebounds. Omer Yurtseven contributed 17 points before fouling out after accumulating five personal fouls. Sehmus Hazer added 15 points, while Cedi Osman chipped in with 13 to bolster the team’s balanced offensive effort.
For Serbia, Aleksa Avramovic registered 16 points and nine assists. Ognjen Dobric added 14 points, and Dejan Davidovac contributed 12 in the away defeat.
With the win, Türkiye remains unbeaten at the top of Group C with four victories, while Serbia suffered its second loss in the qualification campaign.
