RIO DE JANEIRO — Diana Taurasi had a career game to help the US women’s basketball team top Serbia.

Taurasi scored 22 of her Olympic-best 25 points in the first half to help the Americans beat Serbia, 110-84, on Wednesday.

While the US had easily routed Senegal and Spain in its first two games, winning by an average of 52.5 points, they had a harder time against the hot-shooting Balkan nation.

Serbia came out shooting well from behind the arc and led 17-16 — the latest the Americans have trailed in the Olympics — before Taurasi took over. She scored 9 points, including two 3-pointers, during a 15-4 run to close the opening period.

Tina Charles, who finished with 15 points, got going in the second quarter to help the US extend the advantage to 22 at the half. Taurasi had five 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes, equaling her Olympic team record. She broke the mark early in the third quarter and finished the game with six 3’s to set a US Olympic mark.

While Serbia could never recover from its halftime deficit, the Serbians did make the US work on both ends of the floor. They kept pace with the US in the third quarter, only being outscored by 1 point. Serbia finished the game 12 for 20 from behind the 3-point arc.

The US (3-0) has been scoring at a record pace, topping 100 points for the third consecutive game. The Americans have never done that in the Olympics and are on pace to break the 102.4 points a game the 1996 team averaged en route to the gold medal that started this run of five straight that the US is currently on. The victory was the 44th consecutive for the Americans in the Olympics.

The US had only played Serbia once in major international competition, winning by 20 points at the 2014 world championship. Serbia has had a disappointing first Olympics after winning the Eurobasket last year. The Serbians lost their first two games by a combined 8 points, including blowing an 18-point lead against Canada. Now they sit at 0-3 and in danger of not making it to the quarterfinals.

Next up for the US is Canada on Friday. The Canadians won their first two games of the Olympics and faced winless Senegal later Wednesday. In the only other game of the day, Spain beat China, 89-68.