Detroit Mercy star Antoine Davis finished Thursday night's Horizon League Tournament quarterfinal game four points short of breaking Pete Maravich's all-time NCAA career scoring record as the No. 8 seed Titans fell 71-66 against No. 1 seed Youngstown State. The 6-foot-1 guard missed a 3-point attempt in the final seconds that would have tied the record as the Titans fell just short of pulling off a significant upset in a game they led for over 27 minutes.
Davis entered averaging 28.1 points per game and needed 26 points to surpass Maravich's record of 3,667 career points but was held to 22 points on 7-of-26 shooting against the Penguins, including a 4-of-17 mark in the second half.
At 14-19 and without a conference title to their credit, the Titans are ineligible for the NIT and NCAA Tournament. However, Davis could still break Maravich's record if Detroit is invited to a postseason event such as the CBI or The Basketball Classic, which allows teams with records below .500 to compete. Detroit competed in The Basketball Classic last season after exiting the Horizon League Tournament with a 14-15 record.
NCAA Division I career scoring leaders
| Player, school | Years (seasons) | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Pete Maravich, LSU | 1967-70 (3) | 3,667 |
| Antoine Davis, Detroit | 2018-23 (5) | 3,664 |
| Freeman Wiliams, Portland | 1974-78 (4) | 3,249 |
| Chris Clemons, Campbell | 2015-19 (4) | 3,225 |
| Lionel Simmons, La Salle | 1986-90 (4) | 3,217 |
Davis averaged 26.5 points over the season's first 22 games and surpassed Freeman Williams for second on the all-time list on Jan. 21. Still, it seemed improbable that Davis could catch Maravich, the legendary former LSU guard who has held the record since 1970. Then, he kicked things up a notch, averaging 34.4 points over his last nine games entering Thursday to bring the record within reach.
As Davis' production increased late in the season, the Titans improved, winning six of nine games entering the quarterfinal matchup. Davis scored 38 points in Detroit's 81-68 first round victory over Purdue-Fort Wayne on Tuesday, bringing his total 3,642 points and giving him a realistic chance at surpassing Maravich against Youngstown State, which had already defeated Detroit twice in the regular season.
Maravich set the all-time mark of 3,667 points in 1970 before the arrival of a 3-point line in college basketball and with just three seasons worth of games since he spent his first season on the school's freshman team at a time when freshmen weren't eligible for varsity competition.
By contrast, this is Davis' fifth season of college basketball since he was granted an additional year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But there is no doubt he's among the sport's all-time great scorers. He's already the NCAA's all-time leader in made 3-pointers.
Davis is the son of Detroit coach Mike Davis, who was formerly the coach of Indiana, UAB and Texas Southern. After last season, Davis entered the transfer portal and even released list of schools he regarded as finalists that included BYU, Georgetown, Kansas State and Maryland. Ultimately, he chose to return to Detroit to cap off his historic career.
