Ole Miss weathered an early storm from Arkansas.

Down 10-1 in the opening minutes, the Rebels gathered themselves, tied the game by halftime and then dominated the second half at Bud Walton Arena Wednesday night, taking a 73-66 win over the Razorbacks.

Malik Dia scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Ole Miss. Dia was 7-for-12 from the floor and added an assist and a blocked shot. Sean Pedulla was 3-for-4 from the 3-point line and added 16 points. Dre Davis played downhill all night and finished with 10 points, thanks to 6-of-8 shooting from the free throw line.

Adou Theiro led Arkansas with 17 points. Johnell Davis added 15 points. Boogie Fland had 14 and D.J. Wagner finished with 11.

With the win, Ole Miss improved to 13-2 overall and 2-0 in the Southeastern Conference. Arkansas fell to 11-4 overall and 0-2 in the league.

“We played well tonight,” Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said. “Special performance by Malik Dia.”

Beard said he was very pleased by the second-half bounce-back performances of Davis and Matt Murrell, both of whom got into first-half foul trouble and then played excellent second halves.

The Rebels once again found a winning formula using stifling defense, holding their own on the boards and not turning the ball over. Ole Miss held Arkansas to 37 percent from the floor and 22 percent from the 3-point line. The Rebels forced just six turnovers but committed only four. Ole Miss won the rebounding battle, 36-35.

“Arkansas is as good as any team in the country if you turn it over and take bad shots,” Beard said. “We weren’t perfect in those three areas but we were focused on it and we did a good job. …I’m proud of the players tonight. Team effort.”

Ole Miss held its own in the paint, losing that game within the game by just two points, 28-26. The Rebels had five steals and took four more free throws.

“Tonight was another good defensive effort,” Beard said. “It certainly wasn’t perfect but it rarely is. I thought we had a good emphasis on trying to contest drives without fouling. They’re an explosive offensive team so you kind of pick your poison.”

Dia picked up a third personal foul early in the second half but Beard stuck with the Belmont transfer.

“Tonight was a great step in our relationship,” Beard said. “The big fella earned some trust tonight. …We were able to weather the storm with some foul trouble tonight, but obviously, Dia came to play.”

Eight of nine Ole Miss players who played Wednesday scored. Beard said he thought the Rebels were “personally attached” to the game against Arkansas, noting that he had coached at Little Rock and Ole Miss assistant Wes Flanagan is an Arkansas native.

“We knew where we were playing,” Beard said. “We knew Arkansas was going to come out and fight. …I’m really proud of our players. I was proud of our guys’ fight tonight.”

Ole Miss returns to action Saturday against LSU. Tipoff at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion is set for 5 p.m.