Pudulla’s long-range bombs powers Ole Miss past South Alabama

OXFORD, Miss. — Senior guard Sean Pedulla scored 27 points and hit a career-high seven threes as No. 25 Ole Miss defeated South Alabama 64-54, in Tuesday’s throwback game at the C.M. “Tad” Smith Coliseum.

Ole Miss (3-0) came out of the gates hot with Pedulla connecting on five first-half triples. He led all scorers with 19 points in the first 20 minutes of action on 60.0 percent shooting (6-for-10). Judah Brown had 10 in the first half for South Alabama (1-2) as the Rebels took a 38-26 lead into the break.

Malik Dia had six first half boards to lead Ole Miss and Jaemyn Brakefield tallied three helpers.

The Jaguars battled in the second half, cutting the deficit to single digits multiple times.

Ole Miss Rebels guard Sean Pedulla (3) drives to the basket as South Alabama Jaguars forward Barry Dunning Jr. (22) defends during the second half at C.M. ‘Tad’ Smith Coliseum. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Myles Corey had 12 in the second half for South Alabama as the Jaguars cut the lead to 55-52 with four minutes remaining in regulation.

Jaylen Murray and Jaemyn Brakefield hit two huge back-to-back threes to stretch the lead back to nine with 1:57 to play.

Pedulla put the game on ice with his seventh triple of the game at the 1:04 mark, putting Ole Miss up 64-54. He led all scorers with his 27 and Malik Dia led all rebounders with a career-high 13 boards.

Ole Miss returns to action this Saturday for a matchup in Southaven against Colorado State. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. and can be streamed on SEC Network+.

NOTABLES

• Sean Pedulla recorded his first 20-point game as a Rebel with 27 points on 8-of-19 shooting. He became the first Rebel to hit seven threes since Matthew Murrell had eight vs. No. 24 Texas A&M on Feb. 28, 2023.

• Malik Dia pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds surpassing his previous high of 10. He recorded 10 boards four times with the most recent coming against Valparaiso on March 7, 2024.

Ole Miss Rebels forward Malik Dia (0) collects a rebound against South Alabama during the first half at C.M. ‘Tad’ Smith Coliseum. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

• Jaylen Murray led Ole Miss with five assists and zero turnovers. It marks his first game this season leading the Rebels in passing.

• Ole Miss now has back-to-back games with single-digit turnovers. The Rebels have forced 10 or more takeaways in all three games this season. The Rebel improve to 21-10 under Chris Beard when committing 15 or fewer turnovers.

Information from Ole Miss Sports is included in this story.