Switzerland keep calm in OT against Slovakia, celebrate first win

FRIBOURG (FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Pre-Qualifiers) - Switzerland were forced to work overtime, but in the end it paid off. They collected their first win of the campaign, defeating Slovakia 83-80.

Turning point: Both teams had shots to win it at the end of the fourth quarter, but Switzerland were faster to recover from their misses. They opened up a 6-point lead to start overtime, and never looked back, celebrating their first win of the FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Pre-Qualifiers.

Game hero: When you're out of options, just throw the ball up in the air, Arnaud Cotture will probably catch it and get it to the rim! The 22-year-old tortured Slovakia under the rim, finishing with 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting, while also making 8-of-9 free throws. Marko Mladjan struggled shooting the ball, but his 19-point, 18-rebound effort deserves a mention.

Stats don't lie: Got to make your free throws. Slovakia missed 8 of them, shooting just 12-of-20 from the charity stripe. Switzerland kept their calm at 24-of-28, enough to ensure that two points stay at home.

Game notes: Both teams rose above the 70-point mark for the first time in Group A, but Switzerland now have the upper hand at 1-1. Slovakia get to chase their first win of the campaign on Sunday, away at MKD, the only unbeaten team of the group.

They said: "Our goal was to play defense and after that, offense. We stayed consistent during the game. We let too many offensive rebounds in the first half but we fought to overcome this difference in the second half. We were well prepared for this game, that was really important for us. We also have two more games and we have to protect the advantage we got tonight" - Swiss player Arnaud Cotture.

FIBA