Kentucky Wildcats freshman Emily McDonald stole the spotlight with an impressive display on the court, etching her name in the record books by surpassing Rhyne Howard’s mark. Forward Me’Arah O’Neal was also making her presence felt and didn’t miss the moment, reacting to McDonald’s record-breaking achievement.

McDonald put on a marvelous performance in the 98-30 win over the Evansville Purple Aces, scoring nine three-pointers on Wednesday. O’Neal acknowledged the ‘McDonald show’ at Historic Memorial Coliseum via an Instagram story.

“Emily McDonald breaks school record for most threes in a game,” the post read. But the appreciation from O’Neal to McDonald didn’t just end there, as she posted yet another Instagram story of McDonald.

This time, the post, which was uploaded by the Kentucky team, UK Athletics, and the NCAA March Madness in collaboration, showcased the Kentucky team celebrating McDonald’s record by pouring water from their bottles on her, as players and coaches both screamed with joy.

McDonald’s scored nine three-pointers in just 12 attempts (75% completion), finishing with a season-best 27 points and three rebounds. McDonald’s nine three-pointers set a new Kentucky single-game record, surpassing the previous mark of eight set by Rhyne Howard on February 27, 2022. Her teammate Ajsa Sivka had tied Howard’s record just last Sunday before McDonald raised the mark against Evansville.

While O’Neal reacted to McDonald’s performance, she acknowledged her performance against the Purple Aces as well, sharing stories of a layup and her stats for the day. O’Neal scored 18 points, had 8 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists, and recorded a block in the game.

O’Neal, a four-star prospect out of high school, committed to the Wildcats after playing two years at Florida. As the daughter of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, she has always been a subject of interest, and this year seems to be going well for her, with the Wildcats undefeated so far at 4-0in the conference.

As for McDonald, this was a standout show from her, which head coach Kenny Brooks also praised. While Brooks bragged about his shooting skills, he said he was “proud of Emily” for the way she shot. He said she was missing shots earlier but laughed it off, and then broke the record, which shows “how much confidence she has in herself.” McDonald herself spoke about hitting threes.

“It definitely felt good. I think Coach Brooks was playing the past couple of games. I haven’t really been shooting the ball super well. So, I think just the first one goes in, and then the rest follow; that definitely felt good. Honestly, I just like to give credit to my team for just finding me, and Madden did a good job of finding me in transitions,” McDonald said.

It is surely a big moment for McDonald, especially because of her commitment to the Wildcats. While her friend and high school teammate, Savvy Swords, had already committed to the program, she wanted McDonald to join her as well. While convincing McDonald, Swords was also interested in the program.

“Savvy committed first, and I was still in between Kentucky and a few other schools,” McDonald told The Courier Journal. “I told her I’d think about it, but I didn’t make the decision just because of her. It was also because I really liked the coaches and the culture, but she was definitely a piece, an aspect that made Kentucky feel like home.”

Now both McDonald and O’Neal, who came from different paths and had eccentric journeys, are part of a team that is dominating for now. The Wildcats will next play the Eastern Michigan Eagles on Sunday, with fans hoping for continuity in form from the Kentucky duo.