Youngstown, Ohio — If that is the off-ramp for Antoine Davis, it certain has been one hell of a experience.
Davis made a spirited run in school basketball’s all-time scoring document, however he completed three factors brief as Detroit Mercy dropped a struggle of wills, 71-66, to No. 1 seed Youngstown State within the Horizon League match quarterfinals Thursday evening at Beeghly Center.
Davis completed with 22 factors. He wanted 25 to catch “Pistol” Pete Maravich.
Davis had yet another look with about 4 seconds to go, a double-team 3 that clanked off the rim and the clock ran out — probably on Detroit Mercy’s season, and Davis’ historic profession.
“At the top of the day, I really feel like I’m nonetheless one of the best scorer of my era in basketball,” Davis mentioned softly, afterward, standing in a quiet hallway outdoors the guests’ locker room. “And no person can take that away from me.
“Just being shut is one thing that no person ever thought could possibly be accomplished. I’m so grateful for all the things, grateful for all times, grateful for all my individuals with the ability to come and assist me, and grateful for my teammates.”
BOX SCORE: Youngstown State 71, Detroit Mercy 66
Detroit Mercy (14-19) nonetheless may technically play one other sport this season, ought to one of many low-rung postseason tournaments have an interest. Detroit Mercy bought invited to and performed in a single final season, regardless of a sub-.500 common season. Head coach Mike Davis, Antoine’s dad, mentioned the Titans would settle for a bid if supplied.
But if the Titans’ season is, certainly, over, Davis finishes his five-year profession at 3,664 factors. The document is 3,667, held by Maravich, who had an epic three-year profession at LSU within the late Nineteen Sixties and early Nineteen Seventies. Thursday’s sport, in extreme-eastern Ohio, was performed lower than an hour from the place Maravich was born, in Pennsylvania.
Maravich set the document in simply 83 video games, as freshman could not play varsity in his day. He did it with no 3-point line. Davis performed 144 video games, with a fifth yr granted by the NCAA to all athletes impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The stark variations had some critics calling for an asterisk had Davis set the document.
We’ll let his dad inform you what you are able to do with the asterisk.
“Well, I simply hope he will get the popularity he deserves, you already know,” Mike Davis mentioned. “When you learn a lot stuff about asterisks and all that speak, and folks making an attempt to justify him doing what he did, the underside line is each sport he performed in was an NCAA sport.
“I used to be disillusioned a number of the individuals mentioned asterisk.”
Davis had an off-night capturing Thursday, going 7-for-26, together with 4-for-16 on 3’s. He was double-teamed your complete evening, as common, even on his ultimate shot, when the sport was primarily over.
He additionally was heckled all through the evening by a raucous, sea-of-red crowd of 5,584, which solely gave him a modest ovation when he was launched throughout pregame warmups, after which once more later when he was acknowledged because the Horizon League participant of the yr.
More:State hoops: Antoine Davis’ life has modified in some ways, even off court docket
The sport was a bodily one — there have been three technical fouls known as on gamers — and issues boiled over after the sport within the handshake line, when gamers needed to be separated by their coaches, pushing them towards reverse instructions. Davis, his masks off, was led off the court docket by two Titans staffers, and was the goal of trash being thrown by a number of members of the scholar part, positioned 10 toes above the court docket.
Davis’ teammate, Gerald Liddell, picked up one of many items of trash and fired it again into the scholar part. Davis and his dad held their postgame press conferences within the hallway, somewhat than stroll to the upstairs press space, which might’ve required strolling on the court docket whereas followers had been nonetheless in attendance. Police had been on the court docket after the sport.
Davis mentioned the warmth was turned up within the handshake lane when Youngstown State’s Dwayne Cohill instructed him he did not should be Horizon League participant of the yr.
“I would not have mentioned that to him if he would’ve received it,” Antoine mentioned. “At the top of the day, God would not like ugly.”
Cohill, a first-team all-Horizon League choice who had some assist amongst coaches for the league’s player-of-the-year honor given his stature on a championship group, wasn’t accessible to reply to Davis’ accusation, when a college spokesman was requested for affirmation. Cohill and Davis battled one another for a lot of the sport, with a mini-altercation resulting in a late technical foul on Cohill that despatched Davis to the road.
As items of trash had been coming down from the scholar part because the Titans walked off the court docket towards their locker room, the P.A. announcer urged followers to not throw something.
Horizon League commissioner Julie Roe Lach declined remark instantly after the sport.
It was an unpleasant finish to what had been a rockin’ environment for a sport that featured 9 ties and 7 lead modifications. Detroit Mercy’s largest lead was eight; Youngstown State’s was 5.
“Nothing like that ought to ever occur,” Mike Davis mentioned. “We cannot get emotional, both approach. You cannot do this.
“You win graciously, you lose graciously. There’s no place for that.”
More:Mother’s contact led Antoine Davis to Detroit, the place he is nonetheless making historical past
Davis led the best way for the Titans, factors smart, and had two assists and two steals, but additionally 5 turnovers.
Freshman guard Marcus Tankersley added 14 factors, his profession excessive, whereas senior ahead Liddell had 13 rebounds and 12 factors, a double-double to make up for a tough sport within the Horizon League-opening win in opposition to Purdue Fort Wayne. He additionally had two blocks, and graduate-student ahead A.J. Oliver — who, apparently, attended the identical highschool as Maravich, in South Carolina — had 13 factors.
Veteran impression gamers TJ Moss (ankle) and Arashma Parks (COVID) had been unavailable for a second straight sport.
Davis, 24, had seven factors within the first half, as Detroit Mercy led, 33-29, making an attempt to get to the Horizon League semifinals for the primary time within the Davises’ five-year tenure collectively.
He heated up for stretches within the second half, and drilled a 3-pointer with 4 minutes, 15 seconds left to offer Detroit Mercy a 63-60 lead. That gave him 20 factors, on the cusp. But he missed his final 4 field-goal makes an attempt, together with his final factors approaching free throws late with the sport then in hand for Youngstown State (24-8).
Davis will end his profession as faculty basketball’s 3-point king, a two-time Horizon League participant of the yr, and a five-time, first-team all-Horizon League decide. And his No. 0 already has been retired at Calihan Hall, in an emotional ceremony final weekend.
It’s not all the things he needed — he returned to Detroit Mercy for a fifth yr to get to the NCAA Tournament; his dad has made it 9 instances at three earlier stops, however none with the Titans — however it’s nonetheless fairly darn good.
“I do not remorse something,” Davis mentioned. “I felt like God was telling me to come back again and do one thing particular right here. At the top of the day, it did not occur, however, you already know, that is one thing you may’t management. And I’m simply grateful.”
tpaul@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tonypaul1984
