Stanford warms up on 3s, pulls away from USF

Recommended Video:

Four nights after taking No. 9 Ohio State into overtime before losing, No. 16 Stanford found itself in a tight duel with USF going into the fourth quarter Wednesday evening.

The Cardinal, who set a school record for a half by hitting 11 three-pointers after intermission, pulled away in the fourth quarter for an 86-66 win at War Memorial Gym.

“People sometimes need a bloody nose before they start fighting,” Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said.

It was Stanford’s 17th straight win in the series with USF. Maybe the Cardinal (5-3) expected a much more accommodating reception than they got from the feisty Dons (2-4).

USF led 19-12 at the quarter break and 28-24 at halftime. Stanford edged ahead in the third quarter, but the lead was just 54-49 until a drive by Stanford’s Alexa Romano ended the quarter. The fourth quarter was all Cardinal, thanks to six three-pointers in 12 tries.

“They were taking us to the basket,” VanDerveer said of the first three quarters. “We were a step slow most of the game. Once we started hitting shots, people relaxed a little bit.”

Alanna Smith led the way with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and DiJonai Carrington also scored 19. Freshman guard Kiana Williams, hitting 5 of 9 three-point shots, had 17 points and Romano 13.

“All week we were focused on taking good shots,” Carrington said, “and I think we kept thinking, ‘We’ll find a better shot.’ We passed up good shots in the first half. A lot of times we were open and tried to make the extra pass, and that gave the defense time to recover.”

It also helped the Dons win the first half, even though they shot 26 percent.

“We weren’t aggressive at all,” Smith said. “In the second half, we were. We know we’re all shooters. Our percentage can attest to that.”

In the second half, Stanford hit 11 of 21 from long range.

The Cardinal’s Kaylee Johnson pulled down 14 rebounds and had two blocks. “She was a monster on the boards,” Smith said. “She has made it a part of her basketball identity.”

USF head coach Molly Goodenbour, who helped Stanford win two national championships as a player, seems to have instilled her toughness in the Dons. After an 18-13 record in her first season on the Hilltop, including 11-7 in the WCC, she is getting the most out of a roster shortened by injuries.

“We’ve got eight players in our rotation, plus a couple that are hurt,” she said. “We came out and played assertively and played with some confidence. We gave them a game for three quarters.”

Michaela Rakova, a forward from Slovakia, and Ninni Salmi, a reserve guard from Finland, scored 15 points apiece for the Dons. Anna Seilund, a guard from Denmark, added 10. USF has six foreign-born players and has recruited four more for next season.

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