OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss opened its 2025-26 men’s basketball season Monday night with an 88-58 victory over Southeastern Louisiana behind 20 points from senior forward Malik Dia and a strong second-half defensive surge at SJB Pavilion.
The win gave the Rebels and head coach Chris Beard a successful start to the new year. Beard improved to 11-0 all-time in season openers as a Division I head coach.
Dia reached a career milestone in the victory, surpassing 1,000 career points with a turnaround jumper late in the first half.
His play and control in the paint helped Ole Miss pull away after a slow start.
Southeastern Louisiana opened the game with a deep three-pointer and held the lead for much of the first 12 minutes before Ole Miss began to settle in.
Senior guard Ilias Kamardine gave the Rebels their first lead of the night with a turnaround fadeaway and-one with six minutes left in the first half.
From there, the Rebels finished the period on a 22-5 run to take a 45-29 halftime lead.
The shift in tempo was sparked by improved ball movement and a more aggressive rebounding effort.
Ole Miss dominated the boards, finishing with a 44-26 advantage for the game — the largest rebounding margin of Beard’s Ole Miss tenure.
Newcomer A.J. Storr, making his Ole Miss debut, provided the spark the Rebels needed in the second half.
Storr hit back-to-back three-pointers midway through the half, energizing the crowd and stretching the lead beyond reach.
Storr finished with 18 points, going 4-for-5 from three-point range. He also recorded six rebounds, four assists and no turnovers.
Kamardine contributed 13 points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals while helping direct the Rebels’ perimeter defense.
The Rebels’ defensive intensity increased in the second half, producing five steals and five blocks. Ole Miss repeatedly turned takeaways into transition baskets.
One of the game’s biggest highlights came when Kamardine intercepted a pass with 6:12 left and lobbed to Dia for a dunk that made it 75-48. The Rebels never looked back.
Ole Miss shot 51.9 percent (28-of-54) from the field and 31.8 percent (7-of-22) from beyond the arc. Southeastern Louisiana struggled to find rhythm, hampered by turnovers and limited second-chance opportunities.
Beard’s balanced rotation saw contributions from across the lineup. The Rebels’ ball movement and commitment on defense set the tone for what the second-year coach hopes will be a more consistent season.
“I thought our guys responded the right way once we settled down,” Beard said in his postgame comments on the Ole Miss Sports Network. “The ball movement, rebounding, and effort on defense were there tonight. That’s what we want to build on.”
With the victory, Ole Miss begins the year on a positive note and looks to maintain that balance as it builds chemistry with several new additions.
The Rebels (1-0) return to action Friday night when they host Louisiana Monroe at 6:30 p.m. The game will stream on SEC Network+ from SJB Pavilion.
Ole Miss will then prepare for a challenging early-season schedule that includes matchups with Temple and Memphis before SEC play begins later this winter.
Key takeaways:
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Malik Dia scored 20 points and surpassed 1,000 career points in the win.
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A.J. Storr had 18 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting in his Ole Miss debut.
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Ole Miss dominated the glass, outrebounding Southeastern Louisiana 44-26, and forced 10 turnovers in the second half.
