With only a few seconds left in the game, Detroit Mercy star Antoine Davis shot a 3-pointer. If he made it, he would go down in history.
But Davis, who had been cold all game, missed as time expired, and Pete Maravich’s NCAA Division I career scoring mark of 3,667 points was preserved in Youngstown State’s 71-66 win over Detroit Mercy in a Horizon League tournament quarterfinal matchup on Thursday.
Davis, who has been a star for five years, needed 26 points to pass Maravich before Thursday’s game. He ended up with 22 points in the loss. After the game, he said he was happy with his career and his decision to go back to Detroit Mercy, where his father is the head coach.
Davis wanted to beat Maravich’s record and get his team into the NCAA tournament for the first time in more than a decade.
Davis said of his time at Detroit Mercy, “It was just special.” “I got the chance to play for my father. I didn’t get quite enough points to beat the record. God has a plan for everything.”
But is Davis done with college?
Davis and his father both said after the loss that they would be happy to play in the College Basketball Invitational or another postseason tournament. This would give Davis a chance to keep trying to beat Maravich’s record. The Titans finished with a 14-19 record overall and a 9-11 record in the Horizon League, so it’s not certain that they would get an invite.
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But the CBI chooses teams from the schools that don’t make the NCAA or NIT tournaments. Even if a programme has a record below.500, it could still be chosen. But all CBI entrants must pay a $50,000 fee.
“The goal is the NCAA tournament,” Antoine Davis said after Thursday’s loss. “I wouldn’t have any problems with [the CBI]. I don’t think any of my teammates would have a problem with it.”
Mike Davis said he would talk to his team if a postseason tournament gave Detroit Mercy a chance to play another game.
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The older Davis said, “If they want to play, we’ll play.” “We won’t play if they don’t want to and it’s time to move on.”
Antoine Davis said that he wasn’t worried about Thursday’s game. He said that he was still thinking about moving on in the league tournament when he let go of the last shot.
“I knew I was close and had a chance to tie the record,” he told ESPN, “but I was more worried about us winning the game than anything else.”
Davis had come under fire for how he went after the record. He played in 144 games over five seasons. Maravich, who didn’t play with a 3-point line, only played in 83 games over three seasons. Davis did say that he respects Maravich’s mark, though.
Youngstown State seemed to want to make sure that Davis didn’t make history at their expense. Youngstown State tried to force him into tough looks on most of his team’s possessions. Davis made 7 of 26 shots from the field and 4 of 16 from 3-point range. He said that he thought the pressure would come on Thursday.
Davis told ESPN after the game, “Nobody in the country can guard me one-on-one, and that’s been proven.” “I just can’t be upset. I would have done the same thing if they had someone like me on their team. At the end of the day, that’s the plan.”
Now, Davis might end his career just a few points short of Maravich’s record.
Mike Davis said that both Maravich and his son, who also played college basketball, did something special.
Mike Davis said after the game that if he had broken the record, people would have put an asterisk next to his name. “Pistol Pete was in his own world, and college basketball will never see another Pistol Pete. I don’t think anyone will ever score in 144 straight games like Antoine did.”
Antoine Davis said that if he doesn’t get to play again, he would be proud of how he and his team competed during his career. Even though he didn’t match or beat Maravich’s record, he said he was happy with what he had done.
Davis said, “I’m glad I’m in the same boat as Pistol Pete.”
