Finland secured its maiden EuroBasket semifinal appearance on Wednesday, defeating Georgia 93–79 in a quarterfinal matchup held on September 10, 2025.
Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen — the only current or former NBA player on Finland’s roster — contributed 17 points, six rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes. The team’s top scorer was Fenerbahce forward Mikael Jantunen, who finished with 19 points.
The victory follows Finland’s unexpected round-of-16 upset of Serbia. Prior to this tournament, the nation’s best EuroBasket result had been a quarterfinal exit in 2022, which itself ended a drought dating back to 1967, when Finland hosted the event and placed sixth.
Finland will face the winner of Wednesday’s Slovenia-Germany game in Friday’s semifinal. The other side of the bracket features Greece versus Turkey.
For Georgia, the loss still represented its best EuroBasket showing, marking the country’s first trip to the quarterfinals. Toronto Raptors big man Sandro Mamukelashvili led all scorers with 22 points. Former NBA forward Tornike Shengelia added 18 points and five assists, while Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze posted 14 points and six rebounds.
Bitadze was ejected for an unsportsmanlike foul with 6:55 remaining in the fourth quarter. Shengelia was dismissed a few minutes later after receiving both unsportsmanlike and technical fouls.
Source: Hoops Rumors
