Malik Dia set season highs with 23 points and 19 rebounds, and No. 21 Ole Miss’ stifling defense led to a 74-64 win over No. 4 Alabama on Tuesday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Dia made 11 of 21 shots while Jaylen Murray and Jaemyn Brakefield had 13 apiece for the Rebels (15-2, 4-0 SEC), who frustrated Alabama and forced 21 turnovers.
Ole Miss point guard Sean Pedulla totaled 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Matthew Murrell scored 11.
Ole Miss was victorious for the first time ever in 35 road games against AP Top 5 teams. It won for the first time in Tuscaloosa since 2015.
The Crimson Tide (14-3, 3-1) fell behind by double digits in the second half and lost for the first time in nine games.
Aden Holloway scored 15 points, while Mark Sears — the SEC’s leading scorer at 19.1 per game — had 11 for Alabama, which scored just 28 second-half points.
The game was just the third in 186 meetings when both teams were ranked, the other two occurring in the 2000-01 season. The matchup featured two of the three schools undefeated in SEC play as the night opened.
Alabama, possessing the nation’s top offense, uncharacteristically turned the ball over five times in just over three minutes.
After the home side led by as many as five three times, Ole Miss battled back and knotted it 23-all on Pedulla’s jumper. At that point, Dia already had eight points.
Ole Miss forced 11 Crimson Tide turnovers in the opening half, but Alabama, averaging 91.1 points per game, got an off-balance trey from Holloway in the final seconds to lead 36-32 at the break.
Ole Miss took its biggest lead when Murrell netted five points in a 26-second span to make it 56-46 with nine minutes left in the game.
Pedulla canned a trey with 2:33 to go for a 12-point lead.
In the final minute, Brakefield drained all six free throws and Murray hit two to clinch the upset.
–Field Level Media
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