Dia dominates down the stretch as No. 19 Ole Miss survives South Carolina on the road

Oxford, Miss. – The Ole Miss Rebels weathered a second-half slump before Malik Dia took over late, scoring 12 crucial points in the final minutes to lift the No. 19 team in the country to a 72-68 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks on the road.

Back-to-Back Road Wins‼️

Back at the SJB Pavilion on Saturday 🏠#HottyToddy x #Culture pic.twitter.com/DSQ0t3Myso

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) February 13, 2025

First half 

South Carolina won the opening tip to gain possession, and right away Zach Davis gave the Gamecocks a 4-0 lead. Matthew Murrell‘s triple then began the scoring for Ole Miss, and Dre Davis followed with a tough layup to give the Rebels an early lead.

Murrell tied current Ole Miss Athletics Director, Keith Carter, for 8th on the all-time scoring list in Rebel history, later passing him as the game went on. The senior also became the program leader in career minutes played during the win.

With this triple @mattmurrell_ ties @KeithCarterOM for 8th on the program’s all-time scoring list#HottyToddy x #Culture pic.twitter.com/MmwjkoKqIW

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) February 13, 2025

Regaining the lead three minutes in, Jaylen ‘Juju’ Murray hit another triple for Ole Miss while Malik Dia and Davis both added buckets to help take a 12-6 lead heading into the first media timeout. Forward Jaemyn Brakefield got involved for Ole Miss with his first points of the night five minutes into play, and Davis continued to stay unconscious, making his third straight bucket without a miss to give the Rebels an eight-point lead.

The Gamecocks then went on a 6-0 run over the next minute and a half to cut the deficit to two, but the second Murray triple and another bucket by Murrell helped Ole Miss pull away again. The Rebels made 9-of-12 shots from the field in the first eight minutes.

Midway through the first half, Murrell fought through contact for a bucket and the foul. Shortly after, Davon Barnes hit the fourth team three of the night to give Ole Miss its largest lead of the game, 27-17. South Carolina would go on a 5-0 stretch over the next minute to make it a single digit deficit once again, but a Dia three-pointer and another basket by Barnes gave the Rebels an 11-point lead.

Stretching the Floor 0️⃣@malikkdia x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/7hYIXlxlsK

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) February 13, 2025

Although the Ole Miss lead increased to 13 with just over five minutes left in the half, Collin Murray-Boyles gave the Gamecocks new life with seven-straight points, cutting the deficit to 36-28. The South Carolina big man shot 5-of-7 at the line for the night, playing a huge role in the 21 fouls drawn by the Gamecock.

However, the Rebels would hit the bonus with over three minutes left, hanging onto a 10-point lead for the remainder of the half thanks to Sean Pedulla and Brakefield at the charity stripe down the stretch.

The fast start for Ole Miss stuck around for the entire half as the Rebels shot 65 percent from the field (15-of-23) and 67 percent from three (6-for-9). Despite South Carolina’s height advantage, the Rebels managed to match the Gamecocks rebound total of 12 in the first half.

Murrell led the way for Ole Miss with 8 points, making all three of his shot attempts. Brakefield, Murray and Davis combined for 19 more points for Ole Miss, with only two missed shots between the trio combined.

Second half 

The Rebels began the second half the complete opposite of the first, making just two of their six shots in the first four minutes. A slow start out of the locker room allowed multiple Gamecock players to get involved and cut the lead to single digits.

Brakefield scored the first six points for Ole Miss as the Gamecocks kept the game within single digits five minutes into the half. Back-to-back trips to the line then helped South Carolina cut the Ole Miss lead to five. The Gamecocks then cut the lead to 50-46, and just when Pedulla hit a triple for Ole Miss, Jamarii Thomas answered with a three for South Carolina for the lead to stay at four just eight minutes into the half.

Again, the Rebels had a completely different second half, making just 10 of their 32 shots in the half compared to 15 makes on 23 attempts before the intermission. Ole Miss went without a field goal for the next six minutes, only finding four points at the charity stripe from Murrell and Davis during that span. South Carolina took a 58-57 lead before the end of the run.

Dia ended the 12-4 run by the Gamecocks with six minutes to go in the half, and the Rebel big man took over after that. The junior scored the next five points for the Rebels before South Carolina could find an answer, giving Ole Miss a 62-58 lead with only five minutes remaining.

💪💪💪@malikkdia x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/RWUZyse4ag

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) February 13, 2025

However, Dia did not stop there. Free throws by Thomas and a pair of buckets for the Gamecocks gave them their third lead of the night, but it was 12-straight points out of Dia over a four-minute span that gave Ole Miss a comfortable three-point lead with two minutes left to play in regulation.

A jumper that found the bottom of the net for Jacobi Wright made it a one-point deficit for the Gamecocks shortly after, followed by missed shot attempt out of Ole Miss and a turnover by South Carolina’s Murray-Boyles that took the air out of the building in Columbia. After coming up with the steal on the previous play, Davis pushed through contact to get a layup to fall with 22 seconds remaining.

What more can we say about @DAndreDavis?

Dude’s CLUTCH 😤#HottyToddy x #Culture pic.twitter.com/Oy1qELqqPX

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) February 13, 2025

Despite having the option, Ole Miss chose not to foul and allowed the Gamecocks to have a shot attempt. Murray-Boyles then missed a contested layup and Brakefield ultimately iced the game at the free throw line to give the Rebels the 72-68 victory.

Although the team shot 31 percent from the field in a completely different half offensively, it was Dia’s 12 second half points that seemingly willed Ole Miss to the win. The Rebel forward ended with a team-high 18 points, shooting an efficient 7-for-12 from the field. Brakefield and Davis combined for 24 more points for Ole Miss while Davis tied for the team-high in rebounds for the game with four.

Up next

Chris Beard and the Ole Miss basketball team will head back to Oxford this weekend where they take on in-state rival Mississippi State. On Saturday, Feb. 15 at 5 p.m. CT, the No. 19 ranked Rebels take on the No. 22 ranked Bulldogs in the SJB-Pavilion as Ole Miss tries to split the season series.