Sweden took the first step towards keeping their Division A status until 2007 with victory over Poland at the relegation tournament in Novi Sad on Sunday night.

The tournament, which features Sweden, Poland and the Netherlands, will determine the two teams which will be relegated to Division B, as only the winner will get to stay in Division A.

With the scores tied at 38-38 midway through the third quarter, the game was a low scoring affair as both teams battled for survival.

But it was Sweden who managed to find an offensive boost at the right moment.

They closed the third quarter with an 11-2 run which put them firmly in the driving seat with one quarter to play.

Trailing 42-49, Poland were still very much within contention, but Sweden blew them out of the water with an explosive start to the final period.

After missing their first two shots, Per Ringstrom hit a three-pointer to spark a 15-5 run which ended Poland's hopes.

Ringström hit 3 three-pointers during the run, which saw Sweden's lead reach 17 points (47-64) with just over 3 minutes remaining.

Point guard Mats Levin finished with 21 points and 5 assists for Sweden, who will take on the Netherlands on Monday night.