When graduate student forward Mia Davis first arrived at Temple University in 2017, she never imagined becoming the women’s basketball team all-time scoring leader.
“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and coaches putting me in this position,” Davis said. “All the coaches put me into position to be better every day and harp on me when I’m not doing things right.”
It took Davis a little longer than seven minutes in the first period to break the record on Feb. 2 against Wichita State University (11-10, 2-6 The American Athletic Conference). After catching a pass from freshman guard Jasha Clinton, Davis converted on a layup from underneath the basket.
Head coach Tonya Cardoza called a timeout following Davis scoring her 2,195th point and her teammates swarmed the court to celebrate the milestone. Besides the historic moment, Davis finished with 18 points and four rebounds in the Owls’ 70-49 victory against the Shockers.
Former women’s basketball forward Marilyn Stephens-Franklyn held the previous record with 2,194 points and played from 1981 until1984. Stephens-Franklyn still holds the record as the all-time leading rebounder with 1,516 rebounds, while Davis is 401 rebounds away.
Davis is a dominant player from inside the paint, where she scores most of her points from underneath the basket. Early in her career, driving to the rim did not come easy because of her size.
“Every year [Davis] has gotten a little better,” Cardoza said. “When you look at her, she’s about 5’10, but she is just relentless and she knows exactly what to work on to be more efficient.”
During her freshman season, the Owls were in the early stages of a rebuild after graduating four seniors the previous season. Immediately, Davis became a fixture in the Owls lineup, starting in all 31 games, while averaging 11.2 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game.
“Ever since [Davis] got here, she has done whatever was asked of her,” Cardoza said. “She does whatever the team needs for us to be successful and every year she has gotten better.”
Davis took an enormous leap in her sophomore season, averaging 18.9 points per game and 9.1 rebounds per game, leading the team in both categories.
During her junior and senior seasons, Davis continued to be the top option on offense, leading the team in scoring by averaging more than 17 points per game in both seasons.
With an extra year of eligibility because of the NCAA COVID-19 rules, Davis stayed at Temple for a fifth year, because she wanted to finish her last season as an Owl, Davis said.
Davis has been named to the All-American Athletic Conference team three times, and was named the AAC preseason player of the year prior to the 2021-22 season.
She was also named the AAC player of the week on Dec. 6, 2021, after averaging 18.0 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game in a week that included wins over Georgetown University (7-12, 2-9 The Big East) and Duquesne University (9-13, 4-6 The Atlantic-10 Conference).
“[Davis] is just so deserving of it,” Cardoza said. “She could have easily not come back for her fifth year or like others, go someplace else, but it just shows the type of person she is.”
Davis has spent the most time on the court with junior forward Alexa Williamson, who has developed as a player through Davis’ leadership, she said.
“[Davis] is a very good teammate and a great captain,” Williamson added. “She pushes everyone to be better and is always telling us what we need to do and everyone listens to her because we understand that she knows what she’s talking about.”
Davis had the opportunity to break the record on the road against the University of Central Florida (16-3, 8-1 The American) on Jan. 31, but ultimately came up five points short, setting her up to solidify the all-time record on her home floor at McGonigle Hall.
“It was a great feeling to do it in front of the Owl fans and my family,” Davis said. “It meant everything for them to see me accomplish this in person.”
Cardoza’s next goal is for the Owls to get back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2016-17 season, and get Davis her first postseason berth, Cardoza said.
“She just wants to win,” Cardoza added. “She doesn’t care about the record as much as she cares about winning and she wants to get us to the postseason, so that’s her main focus now.”
The Owls postseason pursuit will continue when they return to McGonigle Hall to host the University of South Florida (16-6, 6-2 The American) on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m.
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