Turkey Celebrate Historic Medal Success

Turning Point: As Turkey threatened to blow their historic moment in spectacular style as Sharon Lammerink almost saved the day for the Netherlands with a spectacular three triples in quick succession, Emel Güler calmly sunk a jumper with just over a minute left to make it an all-important two-shot game.

Game Heroes: The excellent Olcay Cakir and Ayse Cora combined for 32 points to lead the way while Özge Kavurmacioglu played an important cameo with a couple of pivotal three-pointers coming off the bench.

Stats Don't Lie: Netherlands were 0-18 from three-point range until the late intervention of Lammerink who hit three in a row during the last couple of minutes.

Olcay Cakir had 15 points and six assists for Turkey

Turkey survived a dramatic late rally by the Netherlands to make history at the U20 European Championship Women in Debrecen by winning 58-56 to take bronze and their first ever medal at a women's youth event.

Having been on top throughout the game, Turkey almost blew it right at the death, but none of that will matter now the win is in the books and the players can reflect on being the team that wrote a new chapter in Turkish women's basketball.

Trailing 21-10, Turkey threatened to blow the Netherlands away but thankfully for head coach Rene Spandauw, the Dutch players finished the opening ten minutes with back-to-back scores from Richelle van der Keijl and Maxime Essenstam to narrow the gap.

And, the good work continued into the second quarter when Sharon Lammerink got the Netherlands to within two points at 22-20.

But, point guard Olcay Cakir was again showing her quality and also finding her range, sinking successive three-pointers to push Turkey out ahead again.

In keeping with the up and down nature of an entertaining first half packed with scoring runs, the Netherlands hit back but having again made it a one-shot game at 30-28, they allowed Turkey one more burst and it proved decisive.

They continued to light it up from the perimeter and after yet more triples by Cakir and Özge Kavurmacioglu, the Dutch hit the locker rooms 40-28 behind and knowing defensively, they had to improve when they re-emerged.

And they did, holding Turkey scoreless for almost five minutes until Cakir stepped forward to end her teams' worrying drought.

With the Netherlands looking like they could possibly threaten the superiority of Turkey during the third quarter, their new-found momentum was swiftly killed-off by Ayse Cora and Kavurmacioglu who hit successive three-pointers to re-establish a double-figure lead at 50-38.

However as they did all game, the Dutch just kept going and this time, it was their turn to rejoice from behind the three-point line as Lammerink sunk a simply stunning three triples in a row in an incredible ending.

This helped the Netherlands get within two points but the ice-cool Emel Güler nailed the shot that ultimately won the game and ended what would have been an epic and fairytale finish for the crestfallen Dutch.