How It Happened: Ole Miss Basketball Handles Business in 79-43 Win Over Alcorn State

OXFORD, Miss. –Malik Dia secured his second consecutive double-double as Ole Miss defeated Alcorn State 79-43 in Oxford, Mississippi in the SJB Pavilion on Monday night.

Ole Miss (8-5) found itself in a deficit early as Alcorn State (1-11) held the Rebels scoreless for the first six minutes of play with an 8-0 lead.

However, at the 14-minute mark, Ole Miss's Koren Johnson buried a three-point jumper to begin a 19-0 run that would put Ole Miss in front with 9:27 to play in the first half.

Ole Miss continued to push its pace, riding its offense to a 37-25 lead at the midway break.

In the second half, the Rebels continued their dominance with Dia leading the way offensively with 10 second-half points. Ole Miss outrebounded the Braves, 31-11 and scored 22 points in the paint to Alcorn State's four over the second frame.

The Rebels would extend their lead to as much as 40, 77-37, with 2:28 left to play. The lead was set after a 22-2 run that started at the 9:54 minute mark.

Ole Miss will head to Norman, Oklahoma, next to begin Southeastern Conference play against Oklahoma on Saturday, January 3 at 2:30 p.m. in the Lloyd Noble Center.

For the latest news and updates regarding Ole Miss Men's Basketball, follow the Rebels on X at @OleMissMBB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Men's Basketball and on Instagram at olemissmbb.

NOTABLES

• Malik Dia registered his second-straight double-double, and third over the past five games with 12 points and 11 rebounds. He's the first Rebel with double-doubles in back-to-back games since Sebastian Saiz in March 2017.
• Joining Dia in the double-double department was James Scott with 13 points and 11 rebounds, marking the first time Ole Miss had two players register double-doubles in the same game since March of 2021.
• Corey Chest tied his season-best with 10 rebounds. The last time Ole Miss had three players with 10 or more rebounds in a game was January of 2016.
• Ole Miss posted a rebound margin of +25 (53-28), the first time hitting that mark since December of 2008.

More Ole Miss News:

Lane Kiffin Reacts to New Offensive Coordinator Being Hired By Ole Miss Football

Ole Miss Football QB Trinidad Chambliss Wins Major Award Amid Breakout Season

ESPN Predicts Outcome of Ole Miss Football vs. Tulane Green Wave in CFP Showdown

Join the Community:

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program.