Georgia survives a double-overtime nail-biter against Turkey at FIBA Eurobasket 2022

In a game that featured numerous twists and turns, Georgia had the last word as the hosts beat Turkey 88-83 in Group A after two overtimes.

The regulation went down to the wire, and the score was tied 66-66 with 34 seconds remaining. Alperen Sengun put Turkey up with a dunk off a beautiful Shane Larkin assist, but Sandro Mamukelashvili responded with a nifty jumper to force overtime.

Turkey went up by five in the first overtime, but Thaddus McFadden knocked down a couple of three-pointers to allow Georgia to compete another five minutes. Then and there, the Tbilisi Arena lost its mind thanks to incredible play by their national team.

Turning point: Sandro Mamukelashvili and Beka Bekauri started the second overtime with three straight baskets at the rim. Turkey never managed to bounce back.

TCL Player of the Game: Sandro Mamukelashvili stood out with 20 points, 12 rebounds and an outstanding 44:48 minutes played.

Stats don’t lie: Georgia made 27 out of its 46 attempts from two-point range as Turkey’s concerns about defense continue to loom large. 

Bottom line: Group A is as unpredictable as it has been. All of Turkey, Belgium, Montenegro, and Spain stand at 2-1, but Georgia is following in their footsteps at 1-2.