OXFORD — No. 24 Ole Miss pounced on Illinois early Sunday and never let up, cruising to an impressive 91-74 win over the Fighting Illini in an exhibition at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion.

The proceeds from Sunday’s game went to CASA of North Mississippi and served as both teams’ final tune-up for the regular season. Ole Miss opens on Nov. 4 at home versus Long Island. Illinois opens at home versus Eastern Illinois.

No Ole Miss player played more than 29 minutes. Four scored in double-figures, led by Malik Dia’s 18 points. Jaemyn Brakefield came off the bench to score 15 points. Dre Davis had 13 and Matthew Murrell 11.

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn led Illinois with 15 points. Tomisla Ivisic and Kasparas Jakucionis added 12 each.

Ole Miss shot the ball well throughout the game, making 49 percent of its shots from the floor and 52 percent (12-for-23) from the 3-point line. Dia and Davis made three 3s each. Murray made two of his five shots from behind the arc. Four other players made one 3-pointer each.

Ole Miss forced 22 Illinois turnovers, including 12 steals, while committing just nine. The led to a 25-10 advantage in points off turnovers.

The Rebels led every statistical category but rebounding. Illinois beat Ole Miss on the boards, 44-32, leading to 15 second-chance points.

“That’s a problem,” Beard said, adding that total was “unacceptable.” Otherwise, it was domination.

“We forced some turnovers and we took care of the ball for the most part,” Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said.

“Exactly what our team needed,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said, adding he wanted to play a veteran team like Ole Miss in the preseason. “The game was truly over four minutes in. It was nerves. It was anxiety. It was them a lot. I thought we made a nice fight the last 10 minutes. …Just horrendous turnovers and led to a ton of second-chance points for them.”

Beard said he hasn’t decided on a lineup yet, adding that he has six starters in his mind at this point.

“It’s a great place to be,” Beard said. “We can play with guard play. We can play big, too. There are going to be opportunities for guys throughout the season.”

Underwood said he was impressed by Ole Miss’ offensive versatility, especially having bigs who can make 3s.

“Pick-and-pop 5s distort every bit of the defensive scheme you have,” Underwood said. “If you force teams to play into a lot of switches, that creates a lot of matchups. They do that with Brakefield. They do that with Dia. They’re good. …I think they’re really good on that side of the floor and they’ll be a touch matchup.”

Beard said he believes there is a relationship between experience and winning. Ole Miss has 10 seniors, including seven or eight in the likely rotation.

“That’s a big part of our DNA,” Beard said. “They’re not going to give us points on the scoreboard when the game starts just because we’re older, but if these guys continue to buy in, commit to each other, share the ball and then defensively, we just have to get better.”