Coach Bob Donewald of China's national basketball squad said the team had brought their best playing against Puerto Rico at the world championship?in Ankara?on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference after a 76-84 loss to Puerto Rico, Donewald congratulated Puerto Rico on their victory, saying they well deserved to win.

"They are just stronger than us ... We're just gonna bring our best (in the following games). Tonight we brought our best, we lost," he said.

Washington Wizards forward Yi Jianlian said the Chinese team played pretty well at the beginning but was unable to extend the advantage.

"We had the chance to catch up in the fourth period but we failed to seize the opportunity," Yi told reporters after the game. "We'll just focus on each of the coming games and try our best."

Puerto Rico coach Manuel Cintron said China played very hard and Tuesday's game was important for both teams.

Playing without NBA star center Yao Ming, who is recovering from a foot injury, China beat Cote d'Ivoire 83-73 on Sunday after an 81-89 loss to Greece on Saturday. Puerto Rico lost to Russia 66-75 on Saturday and succumbed to Greece 80-83 on Sunday.

China will face Russia on Wednesday while Puerto Rico will play against Turkey.