The Ole Miss Rebels moved to 14-2 and 3-0 in SEC play after defeating the LSU Tigers on Saturday night behind a monster second half charge. The second half explosion was led by transfer center Malik Dia who totaled 19 points, seven rebounds, and an assist with 14 of his points coming in the last 20 minutes.

After starting conference play with two losses, the Tigers (11-4, 0-2 SEC) continued their loaded SEC schedule facing their first Top 25 opponent of the season. The Tigers put up a decent first-half fight but the Rebels (13-2, 2-0) didn’t take the bait beating LSU 77-65 in the comforts of The Sandy and John Black Pavilion.

The Rebels were ranked as high as No. 16 before suffering a 87-70 loss to Memphis in the Mid-South Rivalry in December and have rebounded in a major way since then. Wins over Georgia, Arkansas and LSU have Ole Miss on the right foot in the beginning of the SEC slate, and forward Malik Dia has been a key component of this hot streak.

Alabama basketball turnovers piled up and led to low-effort loss to Ole Miss, Tide's first defeat in conference play.