Athens, Greece ? Written off after their opener and branded failures back home, Stephon Marbury and the Americans are showing signs that they just might be the team to beat.

For a change, the face of frustration belonged to someone other than an American after Marbury’s performance. He set a U.S. men’s Olympic record with 31 points and broke the team mark with six three-pointers, leading the suddenly accurate Americans into the semifinals with a 102-94 victory Thursday over Spain.

In a game that ended with the opposing coaches swearing and pointing at one another, the United States finally started hitting jump shots — just as Larry Brown predicted.

“They were very good on threes. That was something new in this tournament,” Spain’s Pau Gasol said. “They looked motivated, and it’ll be hard to beat them if they keep playing like that.”

After spending 90 minutes practicing jumpers in an empty gym on a day off, Marbury made half of his team’s 12 three-pointers and was a big reason why the previously undefeated Spaniards now are out of medal contention.

As the teams left the court, Spanish coach Mario Pesquera and Brown had to be separated by their assistants in an argument over a timeout Brown took with 23 seconds left and his team up by 11 points.

“I had — and I stress the word ‘had’ — a lot of respect for Larry Brown,” said Pesquera, who smirked and shook his head when he heard Brown explain that he tried to rescind the timeout. “Dean Smith would have never done anything like that.”

Marbury scored just 21 points in his team’s first five games, missing 24 of 30 shots. The Americans lost two of them, to Puerto Rico and Lithuania.

But those struggles are in the past, and the Americans now have a chance to win the gold medal. Next up is a semifinal today against Argentina, which in 2002 became the first team to defeat a U.S. squad comprised of NBA players.

Allen Iverson added 16 points, making three three-pointers, and the Americans finally resembled U.S. teams from the past three Olympics. They didn’t get rattled by a large disparity in fouls (27-18), they knocked down their free throws to maintain the lead in the final two minutes, and they topped 100 points for the first time in the tournament.

Track and Field

U.S. basketball coach Larry Brown, left, and assistant Gregg Popovich, center, argue with Spanish coach Mario Pesquera after their quarterfinal game. Pesquera was angry about a late U.S. timeout in the Americans' 102-94 victory Thursday in Athens, Greece.

Shawn Crawford and two teammates capped a big night for Americans at the track, sweeping the 200-meter medals despite a rowdy crowd that booed loudest when the U.S. sprinters were announced before the race.

In a race missing disgraced Greek hero and defending Olympic champion Kostas Kenteris, Crawford ran a personal-best 19.79 seconds. That was just good enough to edge Bernard Williams, who tied his personal best of 20.01 seconds for silver. Justin Gatlin, the 100 champion, won bronze in 20.03.

Dwight Phillips led a 1-2 American finish in the men’s long jump, with NCAA champion John Moffitt taking the silver.

Marion Jones helped the U.S. 400-meter relay team to a time of 41.67, matching the mark it set earlier this month that is best in the world this year.

Diving

The U.S. diving team is staring at its first medals shutout in 92 years after Rachelle Kunkel finished ninth in the 3-meter springboard, far behind a 1-2 finish by the powerful Chinese. Guo Jingjing easily won her country’s fifth diving gold of the Athens Games, while teammate Wu Minxia edged out Russia’s Yulia Pakhalina for the silver.

Women’s Water Polo

Ellen Estes scored three times for the United States, which won the bronze medal in a 6-5 win over Argentina. The Australians won the gold.