Ole Miss snapped its three-game losing streak Tuesday night in Starkville, blowing past archival Mississippi State, 64-46.

The Rebels improved to 7-6 overall and 2-4 in the Southeastern Conference. Mississippi State fell to 9-6 overall and 4-3 in league play.

“We needed it bad,” Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis said. “We just hadn’t closed games out. We just did it in all areas tonight. Devontae Shuler was terrific. You have to rebound against Mississippi State and I thought we did that tonight.”

Shuler scored a game-high 22 points for Ole Miss, making eight of 13 shots from the floor and going 3-for-5 from the 3-point line.

“He’s played his tail off the last 2 1/2 weeks of the season,” Davis said. “He wouldn’t let us lose tonight. I couldn’t be more proud of Devontae.”

Ole Miss held Iverson Molinar to just seven points.

“We stayed in front of him in the first half,” Davis said. "He’s so aggressive. He keeps coming at you. Our zone was the difference. That keeps him out of the paint.”

Jarkel Joiner added 12 points for Ole Miss. KJ Buffen had nine points and five rebounds.

“I was so proud of KJ,” Davis said. “He came out and missed two good shots but he kept attacking.”

D.J. Stewart Jr. led Mississippi State with 18 points. Tolu Smith added 10.

Here are 10 observations from Ole Miss’ win in Starkville:

1. It was a dominant performance for Ole Miss. The Rebels willed their way to a win, playing well on both ends in the process. Last week, Ole Miss played poorly in the final minutes of losses at Florida and to Georgia, but on Saturday in Starkville, the Rebels didn’t waver in the final minutes, breaking Mississippi State’s will in the process. It was the type of performance Kermit Davis predicted in the preseason — tough, poised, tenacious.

2. Romello White picked up two quick fouls in the first four minutes. It forced big minutes on Khadim Sy. He handled those minutes well. Sy scored two points and grabbed four rebounds in 10 first-half minutes. The Rebels’ bench — Sy, Robert Allen, Dimencio Vaughn and Matt Murrell —played some of their best basketball of the season.

“Those guys really helped us separate the game,” Davis said. “Those guys were huge.”

"Those guys that came off the bench did good for us and got our starters going," Shuler said.

3. Ole Miss went to the zone midway through the first half. It gave Mississippi State fits. The Rebels’ defense was stifling early. Ole Miss held Mississippi State to 21 first-half points. That’s one hell of an effort. Ole Miss held Mississippi State to 35 percent shooting from the floor and just 29 percent from the 3-point line.

"Us going to the zone defense is going to help us," Shuler said. "It's going to keep us more compacted. I think us using that 2-3 zone is going to really help us in the long run."

4. Shuler was very good early, putting Ole Miss on his back and scoring the basketball. The Rebels need Shuler to lead, and on Tuesday, he did it. Shuler scored 12 first-half points, leading the Rebels to a 29-21 lead at the half. Shuler finished with 22 points.

"I'm just being myself and being more comfortable," Shuler said.

5. Vaughn played nine first-half minutes. Allen played six. Ole Miss brought the two transfers in to provide veteran toughness. On Tuesday, they seemed to fill those roles. Vaughn finished with seven points in 14 minutes.

6. Luis Rodriguez played tenacious defense Tuesday. That’s his role. Offense from the Los Angeles native is a bonus. He’s on the floor to shut down opponents and do the dirty things on offense. On Tuesday, that’s what he did. Rodriguez finished with six points and eight rebounds.

7. Murrell hit a huge jumper midway through the second half to extend Ole Miss’ lead to 11 points. The freshman has had an up and down season, but damn, sometimes he really looks the part. You’d love to see him just confidently take some shots. The talent is there.

8. Ole Miss won on the glass again. The Rebels out-efforted Mississippi State. Rodriguez, Buffen, Sy, across the board, Ole Miss just punished the Bulldogs rebounding.

9. The Rebels committed just 10 turnovers Tuesday, forcing 12. The Rebels beat Mississippi State in points off turnovers, 11-4.

10. Ole Miss returns home Saturday to face Texas A&M at 2:30 p.m. The game will be televised by the SEC Network.