Muhammed shines, lifts Turkey to semifinals

Turkey vs Senegal in FIBA OQT Manila. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

POINT guard Ali Muhammed took over in the endgame last night, shooting Turkey’s final 15 points in a 68-62 victory over Senegal that put the Turks in the Final Four of the Manila Olympic Qualifying Tournament at Mall of Asia Arena.

Held to just a point by Canada on Tuesday, the 5-foot-10 Muhammed finished with 23 as he dusted off the challenge of the Senegalese in the stretch and made Senegal the second casualty of the tournament after Gilas Pilipinas.

The win gave Turkey a 1-1 card for preliminary play and the chance to test either France or New Zealand for a seat in the championship match.

France, the first team to beat the Filipinos here, and the Kiwis, who completed the ouster of Gilas Wednesday, were tangling for No. 1 in Group B as of this writing.

Canada topped Group A with a 2-0 card and will play the loser of the France-New Zealand match in the Final Four.

Big man Semih Erden had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Turks, the eighth-ranked team in the world, which won the silver medal in the 2010 World Cup.

The scores:
First Game
TURKEY 68—Muhammed 23, Erden 14, Guler 8, Mahmutoglu 8, Asik 7, Korkmaz 5, Batuk 3, Savas 0, Geyik 0, Sipahi 0.
SENEGAL 62—Ndoye 15, Ndour 14, Mendy 11, Niang 8, Hannah 6, Ndiaye 2, Gueye 2, Mbodj 2, Ndiaye E. 2, Adams 0, Thomas 0.
Quarters: 10-11, 33-23, 46-43, 68-62.