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On Tuesday, the Grambling State University Lady Tigers basketball team beat The College of Biblical Studies 159-18 on Willis Reed Court at Grambling’s Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
Ouch.
The national media quickly circulated this story as Grambling’s women team (which improved to 6-5 with the win) established a new NCAA record for the largest margin of victory in a women’s college basketball game. The 141 point winning margin broke the previous record of 139 points set in 2018 as Savannah State (Georgia) demolished Wesleyan College of Georgia.
Unlike men’s college basketball, the women now compete in four 10-minute quarters.
The Grambling women jumped out to a 34-0 first quarter lead before The College of Biblical Studies (CBS) Lady Ambassadors from Houston finally tallied their first points of the game.
As well as Grambling played, the box score revealed that The College of Biblical Studies committed an incredible 57 turnovers in this game. That led to Grambling’s women scoring an amazing 122 points in the paint during the rout.
Grambling attempted 24 three point shots in this game (hitting just five). The Lady Tigers also converted 70 of their 119 attempts (59%) from closer to the basket against CBS.
Here was the team scoring by quarter:
First quarter – Grambling 46, CBS 4
Second quarter – Grambling 36, CBS 6 (Halftime score – Grambling 82, CBS 10)
Third quarter – Grambling 39, CBS 3
Fourth quarter – Grambling 38, CBS 5
Final score: Grambling 159, CBS 18
“Although the goal set out was not to win by this margin, it was to play the best Grambling basketball we could,” said Tigers coach Courtney Simmons after the game.
Years from now, if you hear someone should say that they witnessed this game in person, the official box score indicated that only 65 patrons were in attendance to witness the historic thrashing.
Why did Grambling continue to run up the score in the second half?
Grambling’s women’s basketball coach knew from the opening tip-off that their opponent (playing in their first year of college basketball) was seriously overmatched. None of the starting five for the Lady Tigers played more than twenty minutes of this game. In fact, every player on the bench logged at least ten minutes of playing time.
Today’s women’s game is played with a 30-second shot clock. Ironically, the shot clock was instituted to prevent teams from playing a slow-down game which had bored fans and players alike.
During halftime, Grambling’s head coach could have insisted that her team take at least 20 seconds off the shot clock on every offensive possession. They could have settled into a zone defense at the other end of the court on defense. The coach could have instructed her players that there will be no fast breaks in the second half.
After scoring 82 points in the first half, it appears that Grambling only slightly took its foot off the gas pedal in the second half as another 77 points were poured in.
What happened to showing some good sportsmanship?
Sportsmanship can mean different things to different people.
Some do not have a problem when their team pours it on from the start of the game until the contest ends. During such a lopsided blow-out in any sport, the players on the losing side are quite aware of the situation as it is unfolding. They are embarrassed by it. Altercations between players are more likely to occur in the later stages of any game when the team with the overwhelming lead doesn’t back off at some point.
Fortunately, most others (including me) believe that common sense should be used in these situations.
In high school, I played for a very good basketball team. We would eventually finish third in the state during my senior year. In one game, we played a team which was clearly overmatched. Though I started the game, I was sent to the bench by the end of the first quarter. Our enthusiastic subs came onto the court to play the final three quarters. We still tallied nearly 90 points in an easy win.
To his credit, our coach instructed all of our players to slow things down during the second half to avoid further embarrassment to this opponent.
Sometimes you’re the bug…Remembering the story of “Squish”
There are times when you find yourself on the other side of a blow-out game, too.
During college, I organized a group of neighborhood friends to play in our city’s recreational basketball league. I had worked as a referee for the gentleman in charge of the city basketball leagues. He apparently figured that my neighborhood team (we called ourselves “Swish”) would be quite competitive. He placed our team into League #3 of the eight talent levels.
That was a colossal mistake.
Only two of us had played basketball in high school. “Swish” went 0-16 for the season. We were clobbered (on the scoreboard and frequently on the hardwood) by every team in our league. Decades later, we still jokingly refer to our team as “Squish”.
When you play for a sports team which goes through a season of being run off the court in nearly every game, you develop a little more compassion for other teams once the tables are turned.
Good sportsmanship is often seen at the highest levels
Have you noticed that most professional sports teams tend to ease-up on their competitor once the contest is clearly in hand? Even after a horrific loss by one team, the professional athletes usually meet on the field of play to shake hands afterwards and exchange a few pleasantries.
That’s because professional athletes have (generally) played on successful high school and college teams prior to moving to the pinnacle of their selected sport. They understand how to win and be humble in victory.
Though an individual player might have a fabulous personal resume, success as part of a team is not always assured. Team outcomes can be highly affected by unwise recruiting or draft decisions, untimely injuries, poor coaching strategies, and, occasionally, just plain buzzard’s luck.
The bad times don’t always last forever – hopefully
The first player selected in the 2023 NFL draft was former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. He was the offensive leader when his Crimson Tide team won the national championship in 2020. Bryce Young also took home the Heisman Trophy for being the best college football player in 2021. His Alabama teams steamrolled many opponents during his years in Tuscaloosa.
After going 23-4 during two years as the starting quarterback at Alabama, Bryce Young was chosen #1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. With one week to go in his rookie season in the NFL, Bryce Young’s team is currently 2-14. They remain, by far, the worst team in the NFL once again this year.
The classy young rookie knows both sides of the sportsmanship equation. After being chased around and sacked numerous times on the field this fall, the media has piled-on after the games, too. Being the #1 overall pick in the draft brings an expectation that your personal skills will transform a loser franchise into a winner overnight.
Every player on the Carolina Panthers roster has been a high achiever in football in both high school and in college. They have been part of big wins during their football careers. None have experienced a losing season like this year in Carolina.
The Panthers fired their head coach (Frank Reich) halfway through his first year with the team. The owner was recently fined $300,000 by the NFL after tossing a beer at a fan who had been taunting him during another Carolina Panthers loss a few weeks ago.
One fan’s bad sportsmanship was reciprocated by an embarrassing (and quite costly) response by one of the richest men in America.
As Mom used to say, “Two wrongs don’t make a right”!
So, teach your children well
As the 1968 song by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young suggested, teaching positive lessons to children early in life will pay dividends later. Learning to be a good sport is an important quality in developing a mature personal outlook. Whether on the playing field, in the classroom, or on the job, most of us will struggle at times. Showing support and respect to others suggests a true winner in the game of life.
At some point (whether this season or in the future), the Grambling women’s basketball coach may be on the other side of a game in which her team is overwhelmed like The College of Biblical Studies.
An author named Benjamin Bayani (who played football and hockey in high school) wrote, “Karma bides its time. You will always have to watch out. Karma is unforgiving and always gets payback.”
As a closing thought, here are some words of wisdom found on the athletics website of none other than The College of Biblical Studies in Houston (yes, the same school on the losing side of this week’s historic women’s basketball game at Grambling):
“No area of life is without trials and defeat, sports included. We at CBS – Houston believe the gospel of Jesus Christ is the solution to mending defeated souls. The College of Biblical Studies-Houston is seeking Godly men and women who are committed to transforming their lives not only through biblical education, but through a bond that only sports can create.”
Can I get an “Amen”?