The Guru Report: Mia Davis Breaks Temple Career Scoring Record and Helps Owls Snap Two-Game Losing Streak

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA - Thirty-eight years after all-American Marilyn Stephens finished her Temple career with a record 2,194 points that stood frozen at the top while numerous changes occurred over nearly four decades in the listing numbers below her, grad student Mia Davis slipped past Stephens’ place on the chart Wednesday night here in McGonigle Hall as the new career scoring leader during the Owls’ 70-49 victory over Wichita State.

Prior to the opening tip, it appeared that perhaps Temple officials, including new university president Jason Wingard, were jumping the gun with a ceremonial ball to the native of Baltimore ahead of the five points she needed to become the new scoring leader. However, that presentation was for recently grabbing her 1,000th rebound.

Then the American Athletic Conference game got under way with Davis initially off to a slow start missing her first two jump shots before making one of two free throws attempts at the 7:53 mark of the first quarter.

At the 6:06 mark she went in for a layup setting the stage for the rendezvous with program history that occurred at 2:43 when she took a pass inside from Jasha Clinton and fired another layup followed by Temple veteran coach Tonya Cardoza taking a quick timeout for the Owls contingent to surround Davis and celebrate the moment.

“It’s a great feeling,” Davis said following the game of the record. “I just want to thank my teammates and coaches for putting me in position.

“It was a great feeling having the Owls fans in the stands and my family watching me accomplish this. I just came in not thinking about it because I know what kind of pressure it can put on you. So I just came in thinking about getting a win.”

Then it was back to the business of doing just that by snapping a two-game losing streak off the weekend road trip, which got achieved while Davis went on the finish with 18 points and three steals.

Thus from now in which her career total is 2,208 until her final moments as an active Owl, every time the ball leaves her hands and goes through the nets via foul shot, field goal or three-pointer, the all-time total will be rewritten.

A crowd of 1,371 persons, including Davis’ parents, watched the game that was also nationally streamed on ESPN+.

As for how the game ensued, whatever snowy weather the Shockers (11-9, 2-5 AAC) avoided being in the East, they found themselves buried under a 17-6 Temple second quarter.

The contest was the start of a three-game home stand with East Carolina coming Sunday at noon followed onWednesday on Down the Shore night at 7 p.m. by conference leader South Florida, who Temple (10-9, 5-3) recently took into overtime on the road.

“I thought today’s defensive effort was really, really good,” Cardoza said. “We knew coming into this game, inside presence was going to be a problem, they had guys on the perimeter that could really shoot the basketball so we weren’t going to be able to get much help from people, we were going to have to guard our guys.

“I thought we did a good job of containing them and putting some pressure on them and limiting them to get out in transition. This is the first time in a long time we had a lead and actually extended it. And this being the day that Mia becomes the all-time scorer was a good way to cap it off.”

The game also occurred on the celebrated National Girls & Women in Sports Day.

Cardoza called the night’s special attention one of the coolest moments in her 14 seasons coaching Temple.

“She’s so deserving,” the Temple coach said of Davis. “She’s such an unselfish kid. She could have easily not come back for her fifth year or like others go someplace else. It just shows the type of person she is in her character and I’m so happy that she was able to get that feat as well as grab a thousand rebounds.

“When you look at her, she’s 5-10, and she’s just been so relentless and I’m happy she gets to cap off her career with those things. Every year, Mia comes in and tries to work on something different, but every year, it’s ‘I’m going to come in here and do what’s ever asked of me, I’m going to play every position, I’m going to do whatever you need me to do for my team to be successful.’”

Davis was named the AAC preseason player of the year by the conference coaches back in the fall.

“Every year, she’s just gotten better and she’s gotten more efficient. You never hear her talk about herself or her accolades, all she wants to do is enjoy the people she’s around and try to win basketball games. She attracts people. Her teammates want to be around her because she’s such a positive person.”

Of the players that came back for a fifth “Covid” year ignoring other options, Cardoza said, “I really want them to win. Because they are so unselfish, the only thing they want to do is win. Because of that, I want to see them win. The other guys see this now. We have a lot of young guys and a lot of them played today. They can see how (upper classmen) go about their business and hopefully it’s rubbing off on them and it’s going to carry us to the next level.”

The one downer was Alexa Williamson went down with a foot injury and was carried off the court. Cardoza said she hadn’t talked to the trainer and her status was unknown.

Caranda Perea got a career-high 15 points.

“Today, she was knocking down shots, we need her to do that because it’s only going to help us,” Cardoza said.

Kyra Wood had seven points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. Aniya Gourdine had a game-high eight assists and five steals.

La Salle Completes Sweep of Saint Joseph’s: The host Explorers in Tom Gola Arena in the only other local D-I game played completed a season sweep of the Hawks and third straight in the series with a 66-58 victory in the Atlantic 10 meeting.

Coach Mountain MacGillivray’s squad had been on a recent run including the earlier win at Saint Joseph’s that brought their Big Five mark to 2-1 until suffering two straight losses coming into Wednesday night’s game.

Early in the fourth quarter the game was tied 49-49 before Gabby Crawford scored six straight for the home team (12-8, 5-3 A-10) and the margin grew to 10 points before the Hawks (6-13, 2-5) hit two foul shots to make the final differential eight points.

Crawford shot 10-for-17 scoring 22 points and got a double double with 12 boards, while Kayla Spruill had 21 points, including 4-for-8 from beyond the arc, and had four steals. Molly Masciantonio had nine assists and grabbed two steals.

Saint Joseph’s freshman Laila Fair shot 8-of-11 for 9 points while Katie Jekot and Mackenzie Smith each scored 12 while Smith tied her career high with eight rebounds. Talya Brugler had eight points and seven rebounds.

The Hawks go to Davidson Friday at noon in a makeup game while La Salle on Friday night will host VCU at 6, both games on ESPN+.

D2 Chestnut Hill Handles Goldey-Beacom College: Still winning and still undefeated in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). That was the story down at the Joseph West Jones center in Wilmington, Del., where the Griffins racked up a 79-56 triumph over the host Lightning (7-12, 2-9 CACC).

For Chestnut Hill (18-3, 11-0) it was the 12th straight win. Cassie Sebold had a double double 22 points and dealt 10 assists, while Lindsey Lane had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Laurin Crim connected on five three-points, Bri Hewlitt had eight points while Emily Chmiel had seven points.

On Saturday, the Griffins will host Bloomfield College at Sorgenti Arena at 1 p.m.

Nationally Noted: No. 18 Oklahoma in the Big 12 edged No. 9 Baylor  78-77 on Liz Scott’s basket with six seconds left in regulation. The Bears (15-5, 5-3 Big 12) took a timeout and then Jordan Lewis missed a chance to reclaim the game at the finish in the game played in Waco, Texas.

Madi Williams had 20 points and assisted on Scott’s game-winner for the Sooners (19-3, 8-2), who are still tied with No. 11 Iowa State atop the conference standings.

Taylor Robertson added 14 points.

Sarah Andrews scored 23 for Baylor, which had won five straight since a loss at Oklahoma, which now gets a season sweep in the series.

Oklahoma’s flight from Norman was cancelled and the winning Sooners bused down 270 miles on I-35. It’s the visitors best conference start in seven seasons dating to 2015.

The Sooners next host West Virginia on Saturday at 4 p.m. while Baylor this weekend hosts No. 11 Texas on Friday weather permitting and then travels Sunday for the regularly scheduled game in Austin at 4 p.m. following the makeup game.

“Look, we got fouled all night long,” first-year Baylor coach Nicki Collen said. “And the whistled wasn’t the same both ends. Jordan Lewis should have been shooting two foul shots to win the game. Period, exclamation point.”

It’s the first road win in Waco for Oklahoma since 2009. 

No. 13 Iowa State beat No. 25 Kansas State 70-55. 

The game tipped on a half-hour delayed start following the Sooners’ arrival.

NaLyssa Smith had 19 points and 12 rebounds for Baylor.

“We didn’t do enough to win the game, down to making free throws, getting a stop when we needed a stop,” Collen said.

Noted Oklahoma’s first-year coach Jennie Baranczyk, “I’m just really proud of our grit, our determination and our just never quit.”

Elsewhere, in the Big East, St. John’s at home in Carnesecca Arena in Queens, N.Y., beat Xavier 83-63 as Joe Tartamella became the program’s all-time winning coach with 177 victories topping former coach Kim Basrnes Arico, who is now at Michigan.

No. 10 Connecticut ralled from a double digit deficit in the first half to win in Omaha, Neb., at Creighton 76-56 for the Huskies’ 178th straight combined conference win in the AAC and recent return to the Big East.

Looking Ahead: Penn State is at Nebraska at 8 p.m. Thursday night but No. 6 Michigan at Illinois is postponed due to weather. The Wolverines will host No. 21 Iowa st 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Villanova is at St. John’s Friday at 2 p.m., while Columbia is at Penn at 6 p.m. in the Ivy League and Princeton hosts Cornell at 7 p.m. Drexel hosts UNC Wilmington at 7 p.m. in the Colonial Athletic Conference and Delaware hosts Charleston at 7 p.m.

And that’s the report.