With only one win from five matches, their results represented the worst-ever results at the tournament for China. They also missed out to Japan in the race to claim a place in the Paris Olympics next summer – their final chance to qualify.

China’s starting guard Zhao Rui said the hosts showed “more desire” and the Chinese Basketball Association league may not have adequately prepared the team for international level.

“I failed to control the tempo of the game and lead my teammates,” said Zhao, who finished with 12 points but shot only three of 13. “We need to learn from the best about how to play the right basketball.

“I feel that the intensity of our CBA league is not strong enough to support our performance on the international stage.”

Head coach Dordevic said he took the “biggest responsibility” for his team’s performance as the Philippines took advantage of China’s lapses in concentration.

“We got lost in the third quarter, they did exactly what we do not want them to,” the 56-year-old Serbian said.

“We did well to open the game but you need to use your brain when it gets difficult because you’re tired. We didn’t use our brains properly in the second half.”

Chinese social media users were furious after their side’s first-ever loss to an Asian opponent at a World Cup or Olympics.

“It was not regression for us now that we did poorly,” one Weibo user wrote. “It’s just our generation of leading figures isn’t as good. Yi [Jianlian] was not as good as Yao [Ming], Zhou [Qi] was not as good as Yi, simple as that.”

Star centre Zhou missed the entire second half on Saturday because of injury. The 27-year-old averaged 8.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in five matches in the Philippines.

“We were cursing Zhou four years ago – I thought he was young and [his] mistakes were unavoidable,” one person said. “[But] it’s unexpected that there hasn’t been much progress after four years.

“There is no one to carry the torch for the national team. With another four years without any [major] international matches, perhaps we should just give up on the current bunch and start training a group of new players.”

It is understood that Dordevic will continue to lead the team at the Hangzhou Games, but he will have to do it without the newly naturalised Kyle Anderson, who will return to the United States to prepare for the new NBA season.

Anderson, known also as Li Kaier in his adopted country, led the team with 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

“It was difficult, most players on the other teams had been playing together for a long time,” he said.

“I am not looking for excuses. We still have a lot of work to do. I want to remain in the team and I believe China’s basketball will be better tomorrow.”

Dordevic, who led his native country to World Cup and Olympic silver medals, reportedly will also be without Zhou and forward Zhou Peng in Hangzhou.

Eight-time Games winners China will host Mongolia in their first Group B match on September 26.

Philippines boss Vincent Reyes announced he would step down as head coach after the World Cup due to the team’s poor performance.

Co-hosts Japan, who finished 19th, defeated Cabo Verde 80-71 to clinch their Olympics spot as the best-ranked Asian team.