STARKVILLE, Miss. — Kentucky couldn't have scripted it any better.

The No. 13 Cats clinched their first Southeastern Conference title in 30 years with an emphatic 76-40 win at Mississippi State on Sunday.

They didn't need a dominant performer in this dominant win.

As they had all season, the Cats relied on defense to be the star, forcing 33 Mississippi State turnovers, which they turned into 32 points at Humphrey Coliseum.

"The way we did it makes it a little bit sweeter," Kentucky Coach Matthew Mitchell said after the victory. "This has been a tremendous week for us."

The week started with Kentucky at its lowest point in the season, coping with a three-game losing streak, which included a loss at SEC basement dweller Alabama.

UK had to dig out of the basement and play three must-win games in seven days to clinch its first regular-season conference title since 1982.

Kentucky did it with defense, including a season-best 20 steals, and it did it with balance.

A season-high 10 different players scored in the rout, led by A'dia Mathies and Bernisha Pinkett, who had 13 points each in the victory.

"This means a lot," Mathies said of winning the championship. "We've put in a lot of hard work and earned this. I'm just proud of my teammates and our coaching staff."

Mathies also had four rebounds and four steals in her 26 minutes on the floor.

Mitchell was asked afterward if he thought she should be SEC Player of the Year when those honors start to be announced in the coming weeks.

"I don't know how anyone would arrive at any other conclusion," Mitchell said, lamenting the fact that he doesn't get a vote. "She is such a great player. She's not a one-dimensional player. She can affect the game in so many ways."

Sophomore Samarie Walker added nine points and 10 rebounds. Bria Goss, Maegan Conwright and Kastine Evans each had eight points for Kentucky (23-5, 13-3).

The Cats will try to add SEC Tournament champions to their growing resume when the tournament tips off this week in Nashville. On Friday, top-seeded UK will face the winner of the Auburn-Florida game.

"We feel like we're back on track," said Walker, who helped UK outscore MSU in the paint 32-14. "We're going into the tournament on a high and I feel like nobody can stop us now."

Mississippi State certainly struggled to stop UK on Sunday.

With both Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart and President Eli Capilouto in the crowd to cheer them on, the Cats started their big first-half surge by scoring 11 straight to start what would turn into a 19-3 run that would give Kentucky a 41-17 lead at the break.

UK scored 32 points off turnovers to just three for the Bulldogs (14-15, 4-12).

"What had brought us to this point was defensive intensity," Mitchell said. "We told the players that's what we wanted to focus on today. ... They did a beautiful job. I'm real, real happy with the effort."

It was a struggle for Mississippi State, which didn't have a player finish in double figures, to keep up on Sunday.

"There are so many moving parts to them," MSU Coach Sharon Fanning-Otis said of Kentucky. "They make you guard them baseline to baseline, offense and defense. They play so hard."

Mississippi State had plenty to play for on Sunday, but couldn't keep pace with the Cats, who led by as many as 40 points late in the game.

It was the final home game for the team's seniors and Fanning-Otis, who announced on Monday that she would be stepping down after 17 seasons.

Fanning-Otis is the second-winningest coach in UK history, going 134-97 in eight seasons at Kentucky. She also was one of several mentors for Mitchell, a former high school coach in Mississippi.

She cried as she held her players and watched a video montage of her career after the loss.

She got choked up again as she spoke with the media later.

"I've been blessed," she said. "Very blessed."