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No. 19 Ole Miss played with fire a bit but ultimately held on to defeat South Carolina, 72-68, Wednesday at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C.

Malik Dia’s 3-pointer with 2:02 left broke a tie and gave Ole Miss the lead for good, 69-68.

After Jacobi Wright’s jumper pulled South Carolina to within 69-68, Dre Davis scored on a runner with 22.4 seconds left to give Ole Miss a 71-68 lead.

South Carolina’s ensuing possession ended with a missed shot and a turnover and Jaemyn Brakefield put the game away with a free throw with 5.5 seconds remaining.

Ole Miss improved to 19-6 overall and 8-4 in the Southeastern Conference. South Carolina fell to 10-14 overall and 0-11 in the league.

Dia led Ole Miss with 18 points. Brakefield added 14. Davis had 12 and Matthew Murrell chipped in 10.

Collin Murray-Boyles led South Carolina with a game-high 20 points. Nick Pringle added 12 and Jamari Thomas 11 for the Gamecocks.

Ole Miss was 8-for-13 from the 3-point line, good for 62 percent. South Carolina had 32 free throws and made 20. Ole Miss was 14-for-17 from the charity stripe. Both teams committed nine turnovers. South Carolina won rebounds, 35-27. Points in the paint were even at 32-32, while Ole Miss won fast-break points, 13-5.

For Ole Miss, it was the third straight win in league play. The Rebels defeated Kentucky at home and won at LSU last week. The win in Columbia likely clinched at least an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. The Rebels haven’t played in the NCAA Tournament since 2019, when they lost in the first round to Oklahoma in Columbia.

Ole Miss returns to action Saturday at 5 p.m. versus Mississippi State at the Sandy and John Pavilion.