Detroit Mercy star Antoine Davis finished Thursday night’s Horizon League Tournament quarterfinal game four points shy of breaking Pete Maravich’s all-time scoring record as the No. 8 seed Titans fell 71-66 against No. 1 seed Youngstown State. The 6-foot-1 guard was averaging 28.1 points per game entering the contest and needed just 26 points to surpass Maravich’s record of 3,667 career points but was held to 7-of-26 shooting against the Penguins.
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.
Davis entered averaging 34.4 points over his last nine games to bring the record within reach. He 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.
But as Davis’ production increased late in the season, the Titans improved, winning six of nine games entering Thursday’s 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.
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.
