BERLIN – New Detroit Pistons forward Ersan Ilyasova scored nine of his 15 points in the first quarter as Turkey got off to a blazing start and defeated host Germany, 80-75, today, for its second victory at the European basketball championship.
Supported by a vocal and what looked like a majority Turkish crowd in the arena, Turkey led by as many 21 and was paced by 17 points from Cedi Osman. Center Semih Erden added 16 points and nine rebounds.
Germany never recovered from a disastrous first quarter that left it trailing by 20 points.
Dennis Schroeder, who scored 14 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter, brought Germany within seven in the final quarter, but Turkey held on for a victory that improves its chances of advancing to the knockout stage.