Yao Ming and Guo Shiqiang (7) celebrate their victory over Serbia and Montenegro at the end of their men's preliminary basketball game at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, August 23, 2004. Yao Ming was the game's high scorer with 27 points. (Reuters)

China delivered a stunning Olympic ouster to world champions Serbia and Montenegro while the United States finished as a fourth seed as pairings were set for the men's basketball quarter-finals.

Yao Ming scored 27 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in China's 67-66 shocker over the Serbs - a victory that ensures China will finish no worse than eighth to match the nation's best ever Games showing from 1996.

"Today is a day of great joy for us," Yao said. "I feel the generation before us made a great contribution. They did a great thing. Today we have done the same.

"What we have achieved is a treasure for future generations of Chinese players. What we have done is for the team, the fruit of our labors. These games have made us realize a lot deep within us."

Thursday's pairings were set with unbeaten Lithuania to face China, Italy to meet Puerto Rico, Greece to play Argentina and unbeaten Spain to face the US collection of National Basketball Association stars.

Winners advance to Friday's semi-finals with medal matches set for Saturday.

Following losses to Lithuania and Puerto Rico and struggles to subdue Greece and Australia, the Americans cruised past African champion Angola 89-53.

"Now we're going on to the elite eight," US coach Larry Brown said. "I don't think it's going to be easy based on the talent and the way those teams play."

Tim Duncan scored 15 points while LeBron James and Carlos Boozer each added 11, several on showy slam dunks. James, the 2004 NBA Rookie of the Year, used fist-pumping flair on his landings while Brown fretted 12 first-half turnovers.

In other games Monday, Lithuania routed Australia 100-85, Spain edged New Zealand 88-84, Greece ripped Puerto Rico 78-58 and Italy tripped Argentina 76-75.

Chinese players praised coach Del Harris, an NBA assistant at Dallas who inspired them.

"He gave us a great lesson, a lesson of life - we should never give up, no matter what, and do our best," Yao said.

Yao, a 2.26m (7ft 6in) center for the NBA Houston Rockets (news), sank two pressure-packed free throws with 28 seconds remaining to give China a 65-63 lead. Du Feng added two free throws with 3.2 seconds to go.

Predrag Drobnjak, who led Serbia with 17 poinjts, sank a 3-pointer at the final buzzer, but all he did was trim the final margin.

"The Olympics is a stage for miracles," Chinese captain Li Nan said. "I hope what we have achieved leads us to greater victories in the days to come.

"What we have achieved is a miracle." 

(Agencies)

ouster: the act of ejecting, forcing out, or supplanting（驅(qū)逐, 奪取）

pairing: （配對，文中指8強對陣情況）

subdue: to conquer and subjugate; vanquish（征服）

slam dunk: （扣籃）

rookie: a first-year player, especially in a professional sport（新手）

buzzer: an electric signaling device, such as a doorbell, that makes a buzzing sound（嗡嗡作聲的東西，文中指終場哨聲）