(BEIJING, August 22) -- Team USA cruised past defending Olympic champion Argentina to a sensational 101-81 victory in the last semifinal clash of the Olympic Men's Basketball tournament at the Olympic Basketball Gymnasium. Argentina eliminated the United States in the Basketball semifinals of the 2004 Athens Games.

　　Earlier the same night, reigning world champion Spain edged Lithuania 91-86 for a final spot.

　　The South Americans, known for their steady playing and skillful cooperation, set a low pace in the beginning to encounter the sharp and fast offense of the United States. Although Argentina never saw the lead throughout the game, they had the score limping at 9-4 lead midway through the first quarter.

　　However, Argentina's Manuel Ginobili, star guard from the San Antonio Spurs, aggravated an old ankle injury in the first period and had to miss out the rest of the match as a result. The US team then quickly extended the advantage to a massive 19 points ending the quarter 30-11.

　　The second quarter witnessed a terrific comeback by Argentina, who used a pressure zone defense to effectively contain the US players' inside shots and left few chances for them to grab offensive rebounds. Argentina scored 29 points in the second quarter compared to 19 points by their opponents, cutting the deficit to nine points by halftime.

　　After the main break, Dwight Howard and Lebron James penetrated into the lane and hit three two-pointers. Argentina's double-team defensive strategy proved unable to shut down the US offense, and the teams entered the final quarter 78-64.

　　The margin ran up to 20 points in the fourth quarter, when Argentina substituted out most of its starters in the waning moments to better prepare for the bronze medal match against Lithuania.

　　Argentina captain Luis Scola was the highest scorer of the match, netting 28 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Carlos Delfino followed with 17 points and eight rebounds.

　　The US side had seven players scoring in double-digits, with Carmelo Anthony leading the team at 21 points. Lebron James scored 15 points and Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul all had 12 apiece, Chris Bosh netted 11 and Dwight Howard 10.

　　The usually coordinated Argentina team played divided in the match, coming up with a mere seven assists compared to 17 by on the US side.