Switzerland tamed by Turkey
Swiss hopes of qualifying for the 2003 European Basketball Championships received a further setback on Saturday when they lost 53-70 to Turkey in Fribourg.
The loss was all the more galling since coach Renato Carettoni’s team had raced to a 20-point lead after only the first quarter.
But Turkey, who finished runners-up at the last European Championships, stepped up a gear, restricting the Swiss team to just three points in the second quarter while the visitors racked up 19 points.
After the match, Swiss skipper Patrick Koller argued that the home team’s runaway start had probably worked against them. “After that, our work rate dropped and we forgot our game plan,” he said.
Switzerland now lie fifth out of six in their group table with only the top two guaranteed a place in the finals.
The team began their campaign last week with a 69-62 loss away to the Ukraine in Kiev. Their next match is away to Lithuania on Wednesday.
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