Stanford women improve to 63-0 against Washington State

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Sometimes basketball can be as cruel as nature. The rivalry between the Stanford and Washington State women’s teams is marginally less one-sided than the relationship between eagles and prairie dogs.

The Cardinal have won all 63 games in a series that dates to 1983, following their methodical 70-57 defeat of the Cougars Friday night at Maples Pavilion.

Stanford’s Alanna Smith was a force around the rim with 20 points and nine rebounds. Freshman guard Kiana Williams, who sank 3-of-6 three-point attempts and scored 15 points, drew extra praise from head coach Tara VanDerveer.

“In my mind she’s not a freshman,” she said. “She’s learning every game. She wants to be a great player. She puts in extra time working on her shot.”

It was guard Brittany McPhee’s 22nd birthday, so Smith and reserve guard Alexa Romano bought her breakfast Friday morning. “She’s a big fan of coffee, so we bought her an iced coffee, too,” Smith said. “This win was a nice birthday present as well for her.”

McPhee scored five points and dished out five assists. Kaylee Johnson, who had 15 rebounds to go with her 10 points, provided the Cardinal (10-7, 4-1 Pac-12) an early stimulus package on the boards.

They enjoyed a 53-31 rebounding advantage after getting creamed on the boards 47-24 by Arizona State in Sunday’s 73-66 loss in Tempe. It was one of the few times they’ve been outrebounded this season.

Stanford's Kiana Williams passes the ball during the Stanford and Washington State NCAA Pac-12 women's basketball game at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif. on Friday January 12, 2018. Stanford's Kiana Williams passes the ball during the Stanford and Washington State NCAA Pac-12 women's basketball game at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif. on Friday January 12, 2018. Photo: Bob Drebin / ISIPhotos Photo: Bob Drebin / ISIPhotos Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Stanford women improve to 63-0 against Washington State 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

“We needed that reminder,” Johnson said. “We had it, so hopefully we don’t get it again the rest of the season.”

Washington State (8-9, 1-4) was without head coach June Daugherty, who stayed in Pullman for a minor medical procedure. Her husband and top assistant, Mike, filled in for her, and it wasn’t an easy task. The Cougars shot just 34 percent and were off-kilter even on open shots.

“Our effort was pitiful,” Mike Daugherty told Pac-12 Networks after his team trailed 45-17 at halftime. “We should have stayed home with June.”

Stanford did practically everything it failed to do in the Arizona State loss. Of course, it helped that WSU is not in ASU’s class. McPhee played tough defense on the Pac-12’s leading scorer, Borislava Hristova, who averages 19.1 points. She scored just two points in the first half, then 12 in the second after the issue had been decided. Chanelle Molina came off the bench to score 19 for WSU.

VanDerveer wasn’t satisfied with the Cardinal’s play in the second half, in which it was outscored 40-25 and committed 12 of its 22 turnovers.

“We had a lead, but I don’t think it should matter what the lead is,” she said. “You can either play against their defense or you can’t. … We need people that are going to get assists, not turnovers.”

Briefly: Stanford was missing two reserve guards, sophomores Anna Wilson (sprained ankle) and Mikaela Brewer (illness). … The Cougars lost guard Alexys Swedlund to an ankle injury late in the third quarter.

Tom FitzGerald is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tfitzgerald@sfchronicle

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