NBA stars Mehmet Okur and Hidayet Turkoglu and captain Ibrahim Kutluay combined for 55 points as Turkey remained alive at the 2007 EuroBasket with an 80-72 victory over the Czech Republic, advancing to the qualifying round in Madrid and sending the Czechs home.

		Turkoglu's team-high 22 points helped Turkey to the next round

Okur had a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, Turkoglu poured in 22 points and Kutluay added 17 as the Turks collected their first victory in Group C after suffering blowouts of 17 and 30 points to Lithuania and Germany, respectively.

"I'm satisfied to see my team play and show its real face," said Turkish coach Bogdan Tanjevic.

And guard Ender Arslan added: "We didn't start this tournament very good and were down before the game. But we talked and we said we are a good team and that we can beat any team in this tournament. We just had to start with this game tonight."

The Czechs, who lost their third straight contest, were led by 22 points from Lubos Barton and Petr Benda added 14 points in a losing effort. Jiri Welsch was clearly tired from the first two games and struggled mightly, scoring just five points on two for 11 shooting.

"Today we played very bad, especially our best players. They were very, very tired, especially Welsch, Barton and Benda. I am not satisified with our performance here because we wanted to go to Madrid," said coach Zdenek Hummel, who led the Czechs back to the EuroBasket for the first time since 1999.

Turkey started on fire with a 15-2 lead and led 28-15 after one period with Okur and Turkoglu combining for 16 points.

The Czechs raced back thanks to within three thanks to a 13-3 run - 31-28. But the Turks turned up their defense, holding Czech Republic scoreless for 5:20 to use a 15-0 spurt to pull ahead 46-31 at the break.

The lead was still 57-43 in the third before Lukas Kraus and Barton nailed back-to-back three-pointers to trim the margin to eight - 57-49. But Turkoglu re-established the 10-point margin - 59-49 – going into the fourth.

Trailing 64-51, the Czechs remained close and Stepan Vrubl's three-pointer finished a 7-0 run to move within six points. But Jiri Welsch missed two foul shots and Okur converted a four-point play for a 10-point lead again with four minutes left.

Despite shooting just 58% from the foul stripe for the game - Turkey secured their victory by making 11 of their final 15 free-throws down the stretch.

"We knew we could win this game and go to the next round. And we won because we fought more and had more hustle than we did in the first two games," added Kutluay.

Turkey advance to the qualifying round in Madrid along with Lithuania and Germany. Play begins on Thursday.

Turkey

Coach Bogdan Tanjevic: "You saw at this tournament how strong the Czechs were. They gave us a lot of difficulties tonight as well. But I'm satisfied to see my team play and show its real face. For the first time we won the rebound battle and shot over 40% (43%) and the three-pointers (10-of-20) helped us a lot. But the free throws (58%) again were a problem."

Guard Ender Arslan: "We started very strong. Then they played aggressive and we couldn't answer them. But later we took the control of the game. We didn't start this tournament very good and were down before the game. But we talked and we said we are a good team and that we can beat any team in this tournament. We just had to start with this game tonight. I hope we can show our real character in Madrid."

Guard Ibrahim Kutluay: "We were not expecting to lose yesterday by 30 points. That loss was very bad. Fortunately we knew we could win this game and go to the next round. And we won because we fought more and had more hustle than we did in the other two games. Now we just have to play Slovenia, France and Italy and try to go to the next round."

Czech Republic

Coach Zdenek Hummel: "Today we played very bad, especially our best players. They were very, very tired, especially (Jiri) Welsch, (Lubos) Barton and (Petr) Benda. I am not satisified with our performance here because we wanted to go to Madrid."

Guard Stepan Vrubl: "It's very hard for me to talk about the game because we thought we could advance. I don't know why we lost. The coach told us beforehand to try and play hard defense and not give up any easy baskets and we did just the opposite."

Turkey face the grim reality of having to play the Czech Republic in a pressure-packed Group C finale which will decide who advances along with Germany and Lithuania to the qualifying round.

Turkey have suffered losses of 17 and 30 points and are reeling after getting torn apart by Germany.

Meanwhile, the Czechs have proved to be tough opponents in their two matches thus far – though they were out-classed by Lithuania.

But none of that matters now as it's down to one game to stay alive - for both teams.

		How Benda plays versus Okur may decide the game's outcome

Last Time Out: Czech Republic lost 95-75 to Lithuania. Turkey were dismantled by Germany 79-49.

Key Match-up: Mehmet Okur vs. Petr Benda. The Czech center has averaged 12.5 points and 6.0 rebounds as a legitimate offensive weapon alongside Jiri Welsch and Lubos Barton. Benda has worked hard on defense as well and he could play a major role if he can frustrate Okur. Turkey's NBA big man has averaged just eight points in 24 minutes of action and seems unable to take charge on the court.

Statistics: Turkey's defense has been horrible, allowing Lithuania to shoot 52% from the floor for the game and Germany 50%. The offense hasn't been all that much better – as Bogdan Tanjevic’s side has made just 32% of its shots while also hitting a miserable 58% from the free-throw line.

X-Factor: Someone has to step up for Turkey and be a leader on the court. Hidayet Turkoglu leads the team in scoring with 16.5 points - the only player averaging double-digit scoring. Look for captain Ibrahim Kutluay to step up after a dismal zero-point showing against Germany. If Turkey want to advance, they need a leader. And it's time for the captain to step up before Turkey head home with three losses in three games.

Sounding Off: Czech Repbulic coach Zdenek Hummel thinks his team can play loose, adding: "Obviously there will be a lot more pressure on Turkey than us. For the Czech Republic, it was a success just to get here after eight years. That might be our advantage."