No. 24 Ole Miss Rebels begin their regular season next week, but got in some preseason action on Sunday, defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini 91-74 at SJB Pavilion in Oxford.

Ole Miss jumped out to an early lead in the first half that it never relinquished, and a strong offense paired with a stifling defense made it possible. The Rebels led the Illini 51-35 at halftime, and despite a couple of runs by Illinois, Ole Miss never looked like they were in danger of losing the lead.

Four Rebels finished the game with double-digit point totals, led by transfer forward Malik Dia with 20 and forward Jaemyn Brakefield with 15. Guards Matthew Murrell and Dre Davis also found themselves in that category with 11 each.

Defensively, Ole Miss forced 22 turnovers compared to just nine on offense, a key factor in the Rebels’ preseason win. Although the Rebels were outshot 44-32 on Sunday, they shot 49 percent from the field and 52 percent from three as they led the entire game from the 7:45 p.m. mark of the first half.

The real action for Ole Miss begins next Monday against Long Island, but this is a promising start for Chris Beard’s second year at the helm at Oxford. Illinois was an Elite Eight team a season ago and was ranked No. 23 in KenPom entering this week.

The tip-off between Ole Miss and Long Island next Monday in Oxford is set for 7:30pm CT and the game will be televised on SEC Network+.