Switzerland's national basketball team have failed to kick-start their campaign to qualify for next year's European championships after losing to Bulgaria.

Despite playing in front of a home crowd in Geneva, the Swiss side narrowly lost to Bulgaria 83-88.

The fourth consecutive defeat for Renato Carettoni's side means they stay bottom of their qualifying group. They have lost to Ukraine, Lithuania and Turkey.

They will now be looking for a win over the Netherlands on Saturday to help put them back on track.

Only the top two teams in the six-team group are guaranteed to qualify for the 2003 finals in Sweden, though a third-place finish could be enough to see Switzerland progress if other results go their way.

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