Mississippi State's Anastasia Hayes (0) drives in front of Kentucky guard Jazmine Massengill, right, in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the women's Southeastern Conference tournament Thursday, March 3, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
The Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Freshman Jada Walker matched her season-high with 21 points leading five Wildcats in double figures, and Kentucky beat Mississippi State 83-67 Thursday night in the second round of the Southeastern Conference women's tournament.
The seventh-seeded Wildcats (16-11) won their seventh straight and improved to 5-0 in the second round. They will play sixth-ranked LSU in the quarterfinals Friday night.
Dre'una Edwards scored 18 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Kentucky. Rhyne Howard added 14 points, and Jazmine Massengill and Robyn Benton each had 12.
No. 10 seed Mississippi State (15-13) lost its sixth straight, a skid that began with a road loss at Kentucky.
JerKaila Jordan led Mississippi State with 21 points. Caterrion Thompson added 19, and Anastasia Hayes finished with 13.
The Bulldogs led by as much as seven and were up 21-16 after the first quarter with Jordan nearly matching her scoring average with 12 points. She managed just one point as Kentucky opened the second quarter with a 12-2 run keyed by Howard whose 3-pointer with 7:02 left put the Wildcats ahead to stay at 26-23.
Kentucky led 57-44 after the third quarter. The Wildcats pushed that lead to as much as 21 in the fourth quarter coasting to the victory.
___
More AP women's college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Kentucky guard Treasure Hunt, left, protects the ball from Mississippi State's Charlotte Kohl, right, in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the women's Southeastern Conference tournament Thursday, March 3, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
The Associated Press
Kentucky's Jazmine Massengill (3) defends against Mississippi State's Anastasia Hayes (0) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the women's Southeastern Conference tournament Thursday, March 3, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
The Associated Press
Mississippi State's JerKaila Jordan, center, drives between Kentucky's Jazmine Massengill (3) and Jada Walker (11) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the women's Southeastern Conference tournament Thursday, March 3, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
The Associated Press
Mississippi State's JerKaila Jordan (2) brings the ball up the court in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Kentucky at the women's Southeastern Conference tournament Thursday, March 3, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
The Associated Press
Mississippi State's Anastasia Hayes, right, protects the ball from Kentucky guard Jada Walker (11) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the women's Southeastern Conference tournament Thursday, March 3, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
The Associated Press