Antoine Davis came up just shy of “Pistol” Pete.
Detroit Mercy’s star guard finished four points shy of surpassing Pete Maravich as the NCAA career scoring leader on Thursday night, scoring 22 in a gritty 71-66 loss to Youngstown State in the Horizon League tournament.
Davis came in needing 26 points to break Maravich’s hallowed mark of 3,667 points that stood for over 50 years. But after picking up his fourth foul with 3:36 left, the slender 6-foot-1 guard, who was trapped and double-teamed for much of his 38 minutes by the top-seeded Penguins, couldn’t drive as effectively to the basket.
Incredible career for Antoine Davis pic.twitter.com/rIwf0qu4Xc
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 3, 2023
With Maravich’s record still within reach, Davis missed four 3-pointers — one of them a wide-open look — in the final two minutes of an intense game.
While disappointed with the loss and falling short of Maravich, Davis felt pride afterward.
“It’s really special,” he said, per the Associated Press. “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.
The NCAA’s all-time scoring list:
— Overtime (@overtime) March 3, 2023
1. Pete Maravich – 3,667
2. Antoine Davis – 3,664
3. Freeman Williams – 3,249
What a career for Antoine Davis 🔥 pic.twitter.com/dIJ2BWwNiv
“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.”
(The AP contributed)
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