The Hoyas are still a long way from the bottom.

After falling to 1-6 in the conference and second-to-last place in the standings, the Georgetown women’s basketball team put space between it and bottom-dwelling Providence in an 87-30 rout of the Friars last Saturday.

“It feels very good,” Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. “It’s a surprising conference, and you can’t take anyone for granted in the Big East.”

The 57-point blowout set a record margin of victory for the Hoyas in Big East play and set a record low in scoring for the beleaguered Friars, who have had little to cheer about this season. For Georgetown (7-12, 2-6), which has posted inconsistent performances this season, the trip to Providence (1-17, 0-7) gave a moral boost.

“We just got some confidence early on, and that makes it a lot of easier,” Williams-Flournoy said.

It was a day for strange numbers from both sides. The Hoyas sank 20 of 35 field goal attempts in the second half for a smoking 57.1 percent shooting average. The Friars went 3-for-30, or 10 percent, for a mere 12 points in the same 20 minutes. Georgetown posted a 54.9 percent shooting average for the game, holding Providence to 19 percent. The visiting team also pulled down 38 defensive rebounds to the host’s 21, a key statistic.

“This time we didn’t let them get that first rebound. Too often we give up that offense rebound and let the other team score again,” Williams-Flournoy said. “This time we were able to play good defense and get those first rebounds.”

The game started off as a lopsided affair, and the momentum never shifted. By the end of the first half, the Friars’ 200 fans did not need to stick around to discover the outcome as the Hoyas led 40-18. The second half only turned worse for the home team as Providence either found itself denied strong scoring opportunities or could not make the basket.

“Our defense was very good. They did not get as many shots at the basket, and we limited their second chances. We also had lots of deflections and steals,” Williams-Flournoy said. “They also had some good looks but missed the open shot.”

Georgetown’s offense went into high gear, scoring its second-highest total this season after putting up 89 points against Canisius in December. Five players ended up in double-digits, led by freshman forward Kieraah Marlow’s 20 points and 10 rebounds, a double-double performance worthy of her second conference Rookie of the Week title. Senior guard Bethany LeSueur turned in a solid performance with 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Senior forward Varda Tamoulianis put in 12 points, and sophomore swingman Kate Carlin contributed 11. Senior guard ary Lisicky, still hampered by a hip injury, racked up 11 points in 17 minutes on the court.

“I think it was just more being patient,” Williams-Flournoy said about the success on offense. “We scored a lot more off our transition and made our shots early on.”

Only five Providence players managed to score, with sophomore forward Shauna Snyder grabbing a team-high 13 points off 4-for-21 shooting.

Despite the good feeling that the Hoyas’ second Big East win and first road trip victory may bring, the next challenger promises a tougher challenge then the lowly Friars. At the same time, a win against the Syracuse Orange (11-8, 3-5) offers Georgetown a chance to catch up in the standings with a cluster of teams currently sitting at 3-5.

The Hoyas have played well against the Orange in recent seasons, but this year Syracuse may provide some trouble at the post between senior forward Chineze Nwagbo and freshman center Vaida Sipaviciute. The game starts at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Manley Field House in Syracuse, N.Y.

“Syracuse is a very good team and is having a good year,” Williams-Flournoy said. “They’re going to be tough for us, and we’ll have to keep same offensive mindset.”