Detroit Mercy's Antoine Davis falls short of breaking NCAA men's basketball scoring record

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 in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League tournament against top-seeded Youngstown State.

Entering the game, Davis needed 26 points to pass LSU star Pete Maravich, who set the record in 1970.

Davis scored 22 in the 71-66 loss, missing his last seven shot attempts, and finished 7 of 26 from the field and 4 of 16 from 3. The Titans did not have a field goal in the final 4:19 of the game to complete their season at 14-19, though there's faint hope they could earn an invite to a postseason tournament such as the CBI.

“I would love to play in the CBI, NIT, something,” Davis said. “Not even for the record, just to go out on a better note.”

His father, Detroit Mercy coach Mike Davis, said an offer from one of those tournaments would be accepted if the team wanted to play in it.

"If they want to play, we'll play," Mike Davis said, via ESPN. "If they don't want to play and it's time to move on, we won't play."

Antoine Davis' 3-pointer with 4:19 left gave the Titans a 63-60 lead, but Youngstown went on a final 11-3 scoring run to close it.

The scoring record is still held by Maravich, who scored 3,667 points in three seasons at LSU, averaging 44.2 points per game during his career.

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.

“It’s really special,” Davis said after the game. “Maybe in 20 or 25 years somebody is going to be doing the same thing that I did, chase that record, maybe even sooner than that.

“It’s just a special feeling. I don’t take any of this for granted at all. I’m thankful for this. Blessed. I still feel like I’m the best scorer of my generation. Nobody can take that from me.”

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 and landing at Texas Southern in 2012.

Antoine Davis was homeschooled in Houston and, under the tutelage of former NBA player John Lucas, was on the radar of the University of Houston before Mike Davis took the job at Mercy before the 2018 season.

At 24, Davis is older than most of his contemporaries, and he took advantage of an extra year because of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 to come within range of the record.

Davis made an immediate impact upon his arrival at Mercy, scoring 32 points in his first collegiate game. He has continued to tear up the nets, as he scored in double figures in each of his 144 collegiate games, setting NCAA records for total and consecutive games scoring 10 or more points. Davis is also the record holder for career 3-pointers with 588.

Davis ended 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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“He worked really hard over the years and he’s done some things that should blow people away,” Mike Davis said. “People thought there was no way he could get close to Maravich and he got close.

“He could have had it down to 17 in the last game, but he had some shots that he gave up to his teammates. I couldn’t be more proud of the player that he is and everything he has added to the program and school. It’s been beautiful to see.”

Who was Pete Maravich?

Like Davis, Maravich played for his father, Press, at LSU. Maravich didn't have the luxury of a 3-point line (implemented in 1986-87) or a shot clock, which didn't start in college basketball until 1985, but he still put up season averages that will probably never be approached again.

During his three seasons starting in 1968, (freshmen were not eligible to participate in games until 1972) Maravich averaged 44.2 points a game, shooting an average of 38 times per game. While Davis took 144 games to set the record, Maravich played in 83 collegiate games. Maravich, though, attempted 3,166 shots in his career while Davis came in with 2,961.

After leaving LSU, Maravich was drafted third overall in the 1970 draft by the Atlanta Hawks. He was a five-time NBA All-Star, made first-team All-NBA twice, and averaged 24.2 points during his career. Maravich was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1987 and is a member of the NBA 75th anniversary team. Maravich died in 1988 at age 40.

Who are the career 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 Daum, South Dakota State, 3,067 (2015-19)

9. Harry Kelly, Texas Southern, 3,066 (1979-83)

10. Keydren Clark, Saint Peter’s, 3,058 (2002-06)

What is Antoine Davis' future?

Although Davis has been lighting up the college basketball world, his professional basketball prospects haven't been quite as secure. Davis has rarely appeared in most NBA mock drafts, which are a measure of where prospects might be drafted. But Davis says he can succeed at the next level because he can simply put the ball in the basket.

"I am also a great teammate," Davis told USA TODAY Sports. "I feel like I've heard that before, not just from just my dad, but other people too. They will get a great shooter, and in my opinion, a scorer, and just somebody that listens and knows the game.

"Most importantly, I am someone with a chip on their shoulder." 

Contributing: Associated Press 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Detroit Mercy's Antoine Davis falls short of NCAA scoring record