Two days after Shane Larkin made his debut for Turkey in defeat, he led them to victory.
Shane started off hot and never cooled down, scoring 26 points to go with a game-high nine assists, and Turkey took down the Netherlands, 73-71. It was Turkey’s first win in qualifying for FIBA’s Eurobasket 2022, and avenged an earlier 72-65 loss back in February.
The contest was close all the way through, and the decisive moments came in the game’s final minutes. As recounted on the FIBA web site:
Teams were trading blows all game long, and it was a one-possession game late in the fourth, before Larkin took over. His trademark side-step three-pointer from the right side made it a 71-65 game with less than three minutes to go, and a possession later, the Netherlands overreacted by sending two players on Larkin. The guard found Sertac Sanli under the rim, easy layup meant there was no coming back from that deficit for the Netherlands.
Afterward, Shane celebrated the win on his social media:
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With the victory, Turkey moved to 1-3 in qualifying, and tied with Sweden with five points in Group D. Whether Turkey moves on past the group stage will likely depend on the outcome of its showdown with Sweden on February 20, 2021.
Relive Shane’s electrifying highlights in the footage below.
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