Emily McDonald Hits 9 of 12 Threes as No. 12 Kentucky Beats Evansville 98-30
Kentucky assisted on 27 of its 37 field goals, all nine of Emily McDonald's threes were assisted, and a 25-4 second quarter put Evansville away at Memorial Coliseum.
Photo: UK Athletics. Emily McDonald, official roster headshot. Card design: The Dyme.
Emily McDonald made 9 of 12 three-point attempts and scored 27 points in 21 minutes as No. 12 Kentucky beat Evansville 98-30 on Wednesday at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky., per the ESPN box score. Every one of her 27 points came from beyond the arc, by our count. She took no free throws and no two-point shots. Kentucky moved to 4-0 (3-0 at home). Evansville fell to 0-3, all three on the road. The game streamed on SEC Network+.
Kentucky's 98 came off the pass: 27 assists on 37 baskets, and all nine of McDonald's threes were assisted, by our count from the ESPN play-by-play.
McDonald's nine threes were half of Kentucky's 18, by our count. Six of the nine came after halftime. Three of them landed inside 1:53 of the fourth quarter, from 8:27 to 6:34, per the ESPN play-by-play. Maddyn Greenway assisted five of them. Greenway finished with eight assists, two points and three steals in 23 minutes.
A 25-4 second quarter settled it early
Kentucky led 21-7 after one quarter and 46-11 at halftime, per the ESPN linescores. Evansville scored four points in the second quarter. Kentucky scored 25.
Me'Arah O'Neal supplied the stretch that broke it open. From 9:15 to 6:56 of the second quarter she scored 11 straight Kentucky points: a pull-up jumper and free throw, a three, a layup and free throw, and a turnaround jumper, by our count from the play-by-play. The run moved the score from 21-9 to 32-9. O'Neal finished with 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting, 2-of-3 from three and 4-of-4 at the line, plus eight rebounds, three assists and a block in 20 minutes.
Ajsa Sivka then hit back-to-back threes at 4:08 and 3:36 of the second quarter. Sivka finished with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting in 18 minutes. Clara Strack added 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 19 minutes.
Kentucky won the third quarter 30-11 and the fourth 22-8. The second half went 52-19, by our count. ESPN listed Kentucky's largest lead at 70. That margin arrived at 96-26 on Jemma Amoore's three with 3:45 left. The final margin was 68, by our count.
27 assists on 37 baskets
Kentucky shot 37-of-67 from the field (55%), 18-of-39 from three (46%) and 6-of-6 at the line, per ESPN. Evansville shot 10-of-46 (22%), 3-of-18 from three (17%) and 7-of-11 at the line (64%).
Kentucky assisted on 27 of its 37 field goals, by our count. Evansville had seven assists. Kentucky committed five turnovers to Evansville's 16 and scored 26 points off turnovers to Evansville's two. Steals went 10-3 and blocks 7-1 in Kentucky's favor. Kentucky outrebounded Evansville 39-23, with a 30-16 edge on the defensive glass.
Savvy Swords led the rebounding with 13, nine of them defensive, and added six points, four assists and four steals in 26 minutes. Asia Boone scored nine on 3-of-8 from three with four assists. Diana Collins scored six with three assists. Ayanna Patterson had four points and six rebounds.
Ten of the 11 Kentucky players who logged minutes scored, by our count from the ESPN player box. Paint points went 36-12 to Kentucky. Fast-break points went 8-0.
Evansville's six-player night
Evansville played six players, per the ESPN box. Jayden Scott led the Purple Aces with 14 points on 3-of-10 shooting, 2-of-8 from three and 6-of-8 at the line in 38 minutes. Avery Kelley scored eight with five rebounds and four assists in 37 minutes. Mireia Mustaros and Marina Artero scored four apiece. Kaiden Kreinhagen played all 40 minutes and went 0-of-4. Maria Serrano played 22 minutes and went 0-of-1.
Scott's 14 accounted for nearly half of Evansville's 30, by our count.
The box score, side by side
Full-game team numbers, per the ESPN box and checked against the CBS Sports gametracker box:
| Category | Kentucky | Evansville |
|---|---|---|
| Field goals | 37-67 (55%) | 10-46 (22%) |
| 3-pointers | 18-39 (46%) | 3-18 (17%) |
| Free throws | 6-6 (100%) | 7-11 (64%) |
| Rebounds | 39 | 23 |
| Offensive rebounds | 9 | 7 |
| Defensive rebounds | 30 | 16 |
| Assists | 27 | 7 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 16 |
| Steals | 10 | 3 |
| Blocks | 7 | 1 |
| Points in the paint | 36 | 12 |
| Points off turnovers | 26 | 2 |
| Fast-break points | 8 | 0 |
| Personal fouls | 11 | 10 |
Quarter scoring, per the ESPN linescores:
| Quarter | Kentucky | Evansville |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | 7 |
| 2 | 25 | 4 |
| 3 | 30 | 11 |
| 4 | 22 | 8 |
| Final | 98 | 30 |
Kentucky held the No. 12 spot in the Associated Press women's Top 25, per the NCAA.com AP poll and ESPN's game ranking. Evansville was unranked.
Next on the schedule
Kentucky hosts Eastern Michigan at Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, Nov. 15, at noon ET, per the ESPN team schedule. Marshall visits Lexington on Friday, Nov. 20. Evansville is 0-3.
Sources:
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