Malik Dia made a 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock Saturday with 7:34 left to play, giving Ole Miss a 64-62 lead at Vanderbilt.

The Rebels didn’t score again over the next 5:16 and scored just eight points the rest of the way, spoiling what would have been one of their most dramatic wins of the season.

Instead, Vanderbilt answered Dia’s triple with a 9-0 run and then held on for a 77-72 win at Memorial Gymnasium.

Ole Miss fell to 19-8 overall and 8-6 in the Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt, meanwhile, picked up a huge victory in its quest for a spot in next month’s NCAA Tournament. The Commodores improved to 18-9 overall and 6-8 in the SEC.

"We've been playing good basketball,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington said. “The results just haven't been there. This was a special, needed win."

Vanderbilt dominated the early portion of the game, leading by as many as 19 points before taking a 41-33 lead to the halftime intermission. Ole Miss clawed back, taking its first lead with 16:08 left on Jaylen Murray’s layup.

The Rebels couldn’t build on that momentum and never led by more than the two-point advantage gained on Dia’s 3-pointer.

Dia led Ole Miss with 22 points, making eight of his 12 shots from the floor. Sean Pedulla added 21 points. Murray finished with 10.

Chris Manon had a season-high 16 points for Vanderbilt. Jason Edwards had 15, Tyler Nickel added 13 and Devin McGlockton finished with 10.

"I thought the difference in the game was our poor start and the free throw differential,” Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said. “Vandy didn't foul much and got to the free throw line.

"I think (Manon is) one of the best players in the SEC that nobody's talking about."

Down the stretch, Ole Miss’ offense bogged down repeatedly. The Rebels, which have positioned themselves to make the NCAA Tournament thanks primarily to protecting the basketball, had several critical turnovers late.

The Rebels closed to 73-70 on a Pedulla layup with 1:02 left, but a key call with 34.2 seconds remaining went against Ole Miss. Pedulla appeared to establish legal defensive position, but officials determined he was blocking Vanderbilt’s Nickel with 34.2 seconds remaining. Nickel made both free throws to extend the Commodores’ lead to five.

A pair of Pedulla free throws with 29 seconds left pulled Ole Miss back to within one possession, but McGlockton knocked down two free throws with 21.9 seconds left.

Ole Miss’ final possession was a disaster, with Jaemyn Brakefield missing a long 3-pointer and then Pedulla missing another with less than two seconds remaining.

Ole Miss travels to No. 1 Auburn on Wednesday. The Rebels’ regular season also includes a home date versus Oklahoma Saturday in Oxford, a home date versus No. 6 Tennessee and a trip to No. 2 Florida.

Observations:

— Beard mentioned free throw differential. It’s been an issue for Ole Miss much of the season. Ole Miss was 13-for-15 from the free throw line Saturday. Vanderbilt was 21-for-29. Ole Miss settles for a lot of shots, yes, and the Rebels reach a ton, so if you’re blaming it all on officiating, you’re wrong. However, the block call on Pedulla was rough. Replays showed he was set and well outside of the restricted circle when he drew the contact.

— Still, getting down 19 points on the road in the SEC isn’t a recipe for success. Ole Miss overcame sloppy halves at South Carolina and at LSU. They couldn’t close the deal in Nashville.

— Ole Miss forced 13 turnovers but committed 11 of their own, including two key ones down the stretch.

— Vanderbilt won rebounds, 37-30, but only 11 of those were offensive rebounds, just one more than Ole Miss’ 10. Vanderbilt’s bench outscored the Ole Miss bench, 21-8. The Commodores won points in the paint, 32-28, but Ole Miss won second-chance points, 15-13.

— Ole Miss senior Matthew Murrell scored just two points in 12 minutes Saturday. He was a minus-15.

— Mikeal Brown-Jones didn’t score and blocked one shot in five minutes versus Vanderbilt. It’s a wild stat, really. Brown-Jones scored 24 points for UNC-Wilmington at Vanderbilt last season. He’s basically become a non-factor for Ole Miss.

— Eduardo Klafke didn’t score, but he recorded two blocked shots and two steals in 22 minutes Saturday. He was an impressive plus-20 in his time on the floor. He needs to be more assertive offensively, but his effort is noticeable on defense and in transition.

— Davon Barnes has played a big role at times for Ole Miss. On Saturday, however, he didn’t score and grabbed two rebounds in 10 minutes. He was a minus-12 on the floor.

— Days after some reporters forced a story about freshman center Jon Bol, he didn’t play at Vanderbilt.

— Ole Miss remains in excellent shape for the NCAA Tournament, but the Rebels would likely feel better if they win one more before they return to Nashville for the NCAA Tournament next month. Most bracket forecasters projected the Rebels as a 5- or 6-seed prior to Saturday’s loss at Vanderbilt.