But it wasn't the only possible statement.
Only God can create space/time ex nihilo
Well, with God anything is possible, including that the universe was created as is. God doesn't need space/time to create. Besides, a periodic (oscilating) universe would keep re-creacting itself in a perpetuum mobile fashion without any need of God. Each repetition would be the 'beginning.'
Truly the scientists burn the midnight oil looking for any way they can to obviate God.
The only cosmology which could say God was unnecessary was the "steady state" model which so many clung to with all their might until those pesky CMB measurements in the 60's blew it right out of the water.