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England put their Euro 2001 campaign back on track on Wednesday night by notching up a 53-61 victory over Switzerland in Porrentruy.
However it required a late burst from Laszlo Nemeth's men to protect a lead they had held for most of the contest, reeling off the final eight points to secure a third victory in the semi-final qualifying group.
The hosts started brightest, scoring the opening seven points and holding the English scoreless until after midway through the first quarter. Steve Bucknall,
whose fitness had been in doubt prior to the match, led a speedy rally, the London Towers' guard draining consecutive three pointers as the scores were levelled at 12-12 after ten minutes.Tony Dorsey, winning his first full cap after his recent British naturalisation, was largely responsible for his team's lead at half-time, a quickfire seven points from the Hapoel Jerusalem forward out of his eventual team-high 17 taking England into the break with a 26-28 lead.
"Tony again gave us offensive power and a cool head," said Nemeth. "When the starters didn't give us what we wanted, he came in and showed that he hadn't been affected by starting on the bench."
Having weathered the early storm, the visitors took control of the contest to lead 39-44 after three quarters before a late Swiss revival eventually tied the game once again at 51-51. After a basket apiece, it looked set for a tight finish but England held firm, maintaing their defensive resolve to secure the points.
The only cloud was a collision involving Ronnie Baker who was stretchered unconscious off court after a collision with Swiss star Norbert Valis in the final moments. The long-serving international was kept in hospital overnight before being discharged with a mild concussion.
His club-mate Bucknall finished with 14 while Andrew Betts pulled down 13 rebounds in the absence of injured Ian Whyte.
Harold Mrazek led the Swiss with 16.
Elsewhere in group A, Croatia remained on course to secure top spot, taking their sixth consecutive victory with a 73-92 defeat of winless Slovakia.
However the major suprrise came in Budapest, where Hungary suffered a surprise 63-82 reverse at the hands of Latvia, ensuring four sides all share a 3-3 record.
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