MANILA, Philippines – The Turkey national basketball team pulled away late in the fourth quarter to defeat Senegal, 68-62, and make the semifinals of the FIBA Manila Olympic Qualifying Tournament on Thursday, July 7, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Led by a strong outing from Semih Erden and a bounce-back game by Ali Muhammed, the Turks claim the second spot in the standings of Group A and will face the winner of Thursday’s game between France and New Zealand in the next round.
After Maleye Ndoye hit a 3-pointer to cut the Turkey lead to 63-60 with 1:03 to go, Muhammed drilled a 3-pointer that put his team up 6 and enough of a cushion to hold on for the win.
Muhammed finished with 23 points and 6 rebounds while Erden haf 14 and 11. Ndoye scored 15 points to lead Senegal. – Rappler.com