Ole Miss men’s basketball dominates Southeastern Louisiana in 88-58 season-opening win

OXFORD, Miss. — Senior forward Malik Dia led Ole Miss with 20 points as the Rebels won their first game of the 2025-26  season with an 88-58 victory over Southeastern Louisiana Monday night in the SJB Pavilion.

The Final from the SJB Pavilion pic.twitter.com/eao3kJ2VC4

— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) November 4, 2025

Starters for the Rebels were: James Scott, Malik Dia, Travis Perry, Ilias Kamardine, and AJ Storr. 

Starting 5⃣#HottyToddy x #Culture pic.twitter.com/7mJhxGHkfz

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) November 4, 2025

First Half

Chris Beards’ squad came out a little flat, starting the night 0-for-5 before James Scott slammed home the first basket of the season.

SLU (0-1) struck first, opening the game with a deep three, as the Lions would hold their lead for the first 12 minutes of action.

The Rebels (1-0) eventually got going offensively after senior Frenchman Ilias Kamardine converted an and-one turnaround fadeaway from the right side of the key at the six-minute mark to give Ole Miss its first lead of the game. The Rebels ultimately caught fire,  continuing to build as they held a 45-29 advantage at the break.

Ole Miss’ first half of play was headlined by Dia and AJ Storr with a team-leading 10 points,  two of seven scorers for the Rebels.

At the half, both teams had attempted 30 field goals, with Ole Miss holding the advantage making 14 to the Lions’ 11. The key difference maker was Ole Miss converting 13 of their 18 free throws with the Lions making just 4 of 10 attempts.

Second Half

Ole Miss’ run at the end of the first half continued as the Rebels came out firing to begin the second half, extending their lead to 20 points with 16 minutes to play in the game.

In the second half, the offense picked up its pace. Rebel newcomer AJ Storr scored back-to-back three-point baskets around the 13-minute mark. Storr finished with 18 points and shot 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.

The defensive effort turned up and turned into offense. The Rebels racked up five steals and five blocks in the second half, including a Kamardine steal with 6:12 remaining, which ended with a lob and slam by Dia on the other end of the floor to put the Rebels up 75-48.

The rest of the second half saw more of the same with Ole Miss going up 71-46 with 8:39 on the clock as the Rebels dominated both sides of the ball.

Ole Miss start the season 1-0 for the 11th straight season.

The Rebs were headlined in the second half by Dia, who ended the game with a team-leading 20 points. In addition to Dia and Store, two other Rebels finished the game with double digits in points, Kamardine (13) and Kezza Giffa (12).

Notables 

• Malik Dia surpassed 1,000 career points in the win against Southeastern Louisiana. The Belmont, Tenn. native led all scorers with 20 points.
• Chris Beard is now 11-0 all-time in season openers as a Division I head coach.
• The Rebels’ rebound margin of +18 today was the highest in Beard’s tenure at Ole Miss.
• In his Ole Miss debut, AJ Storr had 18 points, went 4-of-5 from three, with six rebounds, four assists, and zero turnovers.
• Ilias Kamardine’s debut consisted of 13 points, three rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

The Rebels finished the night 28-of-54 from the field (51.9%), 7-of-22 from three and 25-of-30 from the free throw line (31.8%). Ole Miss dominated the glass, outrebounding the Lions 44-26.

Next Up

Ole Miss returns to action in the SJB Pavilion this Friday in a matchup against Louisiana Monroe. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+.