Freshman guard Jada Walker exploded for a career-high 21 points Thursday as Kentucky stayed hot with an 83-67 win over Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament opener at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

In a game that many analysts believed could clinch a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh-seeded Wildcats, Kentucky (16-11) pulled away just before halftime and never looked back en route to its seventh straight win.

The Cats will advance to face No. 2 seed LSU at 7 p.m. ET on Friday in the quarterfinals.

Walker, who suffered a broken nose in the regular-season finale against Auburn on Sunday, was unfazed. She was 7-of-12 from the field and 6-of-6 at the free-throw line en route to her best game as a Cat. She also had eight rebounds and two assists.

Four other UK players scored in double figures, including a double-double for Dre'una Edwards (18 points, 14 assists). All-American Rhyne Howard scored 14 points, while Jazmine Massengill and Robyn Benton each added 12 points for the Cats.

Massengill had a well-rounded performance with seven assists and six rebounds.

Kentucky shot 53% from the field and outrebounded the 10th-seeded Bulldogs 47-25.

Mississippi State (15-14) got 21 points from Jerkaila Jordan and 19 from Caterrion Thompson.