Malik Dia Scores a Season-High 21 Points as No. 22 Ole Miss Wins in Fayetteville

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – (Release) A balanced effort on both ends of the floor gave No. 22 Ole Miss (13-2, 2-0 SEC) a 73-66 win over Arkansas (11-4, 0-2 SEC) on Wednesday night in Bud Walton Arena. Malik Dia led all scorers with 21 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Happy Locker Rooms >>>#HottyToddy x #Culture 🥳 pic.twitter.com/kQGju1WWbu

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) January 9, 2025

The Rebels did what they do best to chip away at the deficit creating three takeaways. After trailing by eight with 6:09 to play, an Eduardo Klafke triple cut the deficit to three as the Rebels buckled down defensively, holding Arkansas scoreless for 3:08 of play.

Ole Miss attacked the basket generating 14 points in the paint and 11 trips to the charity stripe in the first half. The Rebels ended the frame on a 14-6 run as Sean Pedulla connected on a three with 31 ticks on the clock. John Bol would swat the final Arkansas shot attempt of the first half as both teams headed to the locker room tied at 33.

😳@malikkdia x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/h8eP3oiSOm

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) January 9, 2025

It was the Rebels’ turn to take their first lead of the game as Ole Miss connected on four of their first six shots of the second half, including two triples to take a 45-40 lead at the under 16 media timeout.

Ole Miss would push their lead to 10 twice at the 14:23 mark and again at 12:32 after a pair of free throws from Dre Davis. Arkansas would battle back cutting the deficit to four with 10:25 left after six straight points from Adou Thiero.

Ole Miss shared the ball extremely well in the second half, working the shot clock and generating efficient looks. The Rebels shot 52.2 percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes including 45.5 percent from long range.

You like what you see, @Lane_Kiffin?@PedullaSean goes over the top to @DAndreDavis #HottyToddy x #Culture pic.twitter.com/aN2YMo8oBm

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) January 9, 2025

The Rebels kept a lid on the Arkansas basket as the Razorbacks mustered only nine field goals and one three-pointer in the second half.

Jonas Aidoo cut the Ole Miss lead to 68-62 with 2:22 to play but Ole Miss locked in defensively over the two minutes and change. Dia answered the call one final time with a huge three-pointer from Jaylen Murray stretching the lead to 71-62 with 1:10 to play.

Malik Dia kept the hot hand for Ole Miss as the sophomore forward finished with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting. He added a team high eight boards in the win. Jaylen Murray led all passers with six assists marking his eighth game this season with five or more helpers.

What a game from @malikkdia!#HottyToddy x #Culture pic.twitter.com/yQSN1rn3km

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) January 9, 2025

Ole Miss returns to Oxford this Saturday and will take on the LSU Tigers (11-4, 0-2 SEC). Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. CT in the SJB Pavilion on SEC Network.

Notables

• Arkansas entered tonight’s game ninth in the NCAA in field goal percentage at 50.7 percent per game. The Rebels held the Razorbacks to just 37.3 percent (22-for-59) in the win.
• Ole Miss is 8-0 on the season when holding their opponent to under 40 percent from the field, and 15-1 under Chris Beard.
• The Rebels committed only five turnovers on the night. Ole Miss entered tonight’s matchup eighth in the country averaging only 9.3 turnovers per game.
• Three Rebels scored in double figures: Dia (21), Sean Pedulla (16), and Dre Davis (10).
• Ole Miss controlled the glass with four players hauling in six or more boards on the night. Jaylen Murray had a season-high six boards and Dre Davis tied a season-high with seven rebounds.
• The victory marks the first for the Rebels in Fayetteville in 10 years. The last Ole Miss victory at Bud Walton Arena came on Jan. 17, 2015, in a 96-82 Ole Miss victory.