Ole Miss newcomer Allen Flanigan finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds as the Rebels opened the Chris Beard era by pulling away in the second half to beat Alabama State 69-59 on Monday night in Oxford, Miss.

Leading the Hornets of the Southwestern Athletic Conference team by just one point with 12:49 remining, Ole Miss outscored them 24-15 the rest of the way.

Flanigan, who played four years at Auburn before transferring to Ole Miss, notched seven points in the second half.

The Rebels' Matthew Murrell had a game-high 16 points to go with nine rebounds, while Jaylen Murray and TJ Caldwell had 15 points apiece, with Caldwell netting 12 in the second half.

Ole Miss of the SEC shot 36.8 percent (25 of 68) from the field compared to Alabama State's 27.4 percent (17 of 62) and led in points in the paint 30-10.

The Rebels improved their all-time mark against Alabama State to 8-0.

Picked eighth in the 12-team Southwestern Athletic Conference's preseason poll, the Hornets got 12 points and eight rebounds from TJ Madlock. CJ Hines scored 12 and Amarr Knox netted 11.

Alabama State played without top returning scorer Isaiah Range, who is recovering from a broken leg sustained last season.

The Hornets shot 76.2 percent (16 of 21) from the foul line, while the Rebels made just 48 percent (12 of 25).

In front on an enthusiastic home crowd, Murrell scored the game's first five points in the Rebels' first game with Beard, the former Texas Longhorns coach, running the bench.

However, Jasteven Walker stroked a trey from the wing with 7:16 left go even the game at 19-all. Knox's 3-pointer two minutes later gave the Hornets their first lead at 25-23.

Ole Miss closed strongly, however, getting conventional three-point plays from Murray and Murrell to hold a 35-30 edge at halftime despite making just half of its 16 free throws and only three of its 15 shots from long range.

--Field Level Media