Georgia Southern women beat Carver College 133-15, just shy of record margin

Georgia Southern Women’s Basketball faces the Carver College Cougars at Hanner Fieldhouse on December 13, 2021 in Statesboro, Georgia. (Credit: AJ Henderson / Georgia Southern)

Credit: AJ Henderson / Georgia Southern

Credit: AJ Henderson / Georgia Southern

Georgia Southern Women’s Basketball faces the Carver College Cougars at Hanner Fieldhouse on December 13, 2021 in Statesboro, Georgia. (Credit: AJ Henderson / Georgia Southern)

STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) — Georgia Southern beat Carver College 133-15 on Monday, the second-largest margin of victory in women’s Division I history.

The margin of 118 points trails the record of 129 set by Savannah State when it beat Wesleyan (Georgia) 155-26 on Nov. 6, 2018. The women’s record for a game involving two Division I teams is 108 points, set by Baylor when it beat Winthrop 140-32 on Dec. 15, 2016.

Rachel Johnson scored 18 points and Constance Thomas had 17, both off the bench, to lead Georgia Southern. No Georgia Southern starter played more than 15 minutes and eight players scored in double figures.

Carver College is a minuscule, historically Black Bible college from Atlanta whose men’s team gained notoriety last year during the pandemic-disrupted season for barnstorming around the South and losing by huge margins. Carver is part of the National Christian College Athletic Association.

Georgia Southern has scored 254 combined points in its last two games, and Monday’s performance broke its single-game scoring record set on Saturday in a 121-105 victory over Gardner-Webb. Against Carver, the Eagles also set a program record for fewest points allowed.

The Eagles scored the opening 19 points and used a 33-0 second quarter for a 60-5 lead at halftime. The Cougars were 2 of 25 from the field in the first half. Georgia Southern had runs of 19-0 and 18-0 in the third quarter, and held its largest lead at the final buzzer.

Taya Gibson had 15 points, seven rebounds and five steals, and Daeja Holmes added 12 points, nine assists and seven steals for Georgia Southern (8-2). The Eagles scored 78 points off of 49 Carver turnovers. Georgia Southern’s 28 steals tied a school record set in the 1979-80 season.

Taiyee Treasure scored nine points to lead Carver. Tishana Key, the only starter to score, added four points and Fatima Bakayoko added two. The Cougars were 6-of-49 shooting (12.2%) while Georgia Southern went 53-for-88 (60.2%).