Detroit Mercy guard Antoine Davis fell four points short of setting the NCAA men’s basketball career scoring mark Thursday night as the Titans lost against top-seeded Youngstown State in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Tournament.
Entering the game, Davis needed 26 points to pass the record set by LSU star Pete Maravich in 1970.
Davis scored 22 in the 71-66 loss, missed his last seven shot attempts, and finished 7 of 26 from the field and 4 of 16 from 3. The Titans did not make a field goal in the final 4:19 of the game. All but hope to finish their season at 14-19 and earn a postseason berth.
Davis’ 3-pointer with 4:19 left gave the Titans a 63-60 lead, but Youngstown went on a late 11-3 run to close it out.
Maravich scored 3,667 points in three seasons at LSU and averaged 44.2 points per game in his career.
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The nation’s leading scorer at 28.4 points per game, Davis scored 30 or more points 14 times this season, ranking first in the NCAA in seven different offensive categories.
Who is Antoine Davis?
Davis is a 6-foot-1, 160-pound fifth-year senior from Birmingham, Alabama. His father, Detroit Mercy coach Mike Davis, spent six seasons at Alabama-Birmingham before being fired at Texas Southern in 2012.
Antoine Davis was homeschooled in Houston and under the tutelage of former NBA player John Lucas, Mike Davis was on the University of Houston’s radar before taking the job at Mercy before the 2018 season.
At 24, Davis is older than most of his contemporaries, and he used an extra year in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic to come within striking distance of the feat.
Davis scored 32 points in his first college game and made an immediate impact upon his arrival at Mercy. He continued to tear down the nets as he scored in double figures in each of his 144 college games, setting NCAA records for total and consecutive games scored 10 or more points. Davis holds the record for career 3-pointers with 588.
Davis finished Thursday four 3-pointers away from breaking the NCAA record for 3-point field goals in a season set by Davidson’s Stephen Curry in 2008.
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Who is Pete Maravich?
Like Davis, Maravich played at LSU for his father, Pres. Maravich didn’t have a 3-point line (implemented in 1986-87) or a shot clock, which didn’t begin in college basketball until 1985, but he still put up season averages that would never be approached again. .
In his three seasons beginning in 1968, (not eligible for rookie games until 1972) Maravich averaged 44.2 points per game, shooting an average of 38 shots per game. Davis played in 144 games, while Maravich played in 83 college games.
After leaving LSU, Maravich was selected third overall in the 1970 draft by the Atlanta Hawks. He was a five-time NBA All-Star, first-team All-NBA twice, and averaged 24.2 points in his career. Maravich was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987 and is a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. Maravich died in 1988 at the age of 40.
Who are the NCAA scoring leaders?
1. Pete Maravich, LSU, 3,667 (1968-70)
2. Antoine Davis, Detroit Mercy, 3,664 (2018-23)
3. Freeman Williams, Portland, 3,249 (1974-78)
4. Chris Clemons, Campbell, 3,225 (2015-19)
5. Lionel Simmons, La Salle, 3,217 (1986-90)
6. Alphonso Ford, Mississippi Valley State, 3,165 (1989-93)
7. Doug McDermott, Creighton, 3,150 (2010-14)
8. Mike Tom, South Dakota State, 3,067 (2015-19)
9. Harry Kelly, Texas Southern, 3,066 (1979-83)
10. Keidren Clark, St. Peter’s, 3,058 (2002-06)
What does the future hold for Antoine Davis?
Although Davis lit up the college basketball world, his professional basketball prospects were not so secure. Davis barely appeared in most NBA mock drafts. But Davis says he can make it to the next level by just putting the ball in the basket.
“I’m a great teammate, too,” Davis told USA TODAY Sports. “I feel like I’ve heard that before, not just from my dad, but other people too. They’re going to get a great shooter, in my opinion, a scorer, and someone who listens and knows the game.
“Most importantly, I’m someone with a chip on my shoulder.”
