Mission accomplished for basketball team
The Swiss basketball team have reached the main qualifying round for the 2003 European championships after comfortably beating Iceland in the preliminaries on Wednesday.
Four days after losing their first match of the campaign to Ireland, Renato Carettoni’s men bounced back with a 79-62 victory in Njardvik.
It was Switzerland’s second straight win against Iceland, following the 77-68 victory in Nyon. The latest match never looked in doubt from the Swiss perspective with Iceland trailing throughout the match and falling 23 points behind by the end of the first period.
Patrick Ceresa profited particularly well from the Icelanders’ weaknesses in defence. The Fribourg Olympic player grabbed 22 of the Swiss points, finishing the match with an unblemished record (ten baskets from ten attempts) for two-pointers.
The win makes sure of Switzerland’s place at the top of the group regardless of what happens in Saturday’s final match against Finland in Bellinzona.
In Wednesday’s other action, Ireland clinched the second qualifying spot with an unexpected 84-81 win over the Finns.
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