OXFORD – Had a disagreement between senior guard Matthew Murrell and senior forward Jaemyn Brakefield not taken place Tuesday, Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard isn’t entirely sure what transpired Wednesday night at SJB Pavilion would have been possible.

Murrell and Brakefield – two of the last holdovers from former head coach Kermit Davis’ tenure – had what Beard termed “an aggressive moment” and “got into it a little bit” at practice. Rather than see it as a negative, Beard very much took it the other way. Because of the relationship Murrell and Brakefield have, the leadership they exhibit daily and, above all else, the love they have for Ole Miss, it served as more inspiration than anything, Beard said. It helped set the tone for one of the biggest wins in recent program history.

Brakefield scored all of his team-high 19 points in the second half against No. 4 Tennessee on Wednesday – including the game-winning basket with seven seconds remaining – and the Rebels notched their second top-five win of the season with a 78-76 victory over the Volunteers at SJB Pavilion on senior night. The Rebels (21-9, 10-7 SEC) outscored Tennessee 46-20 in the paint and outrebounded the Volunteers 37-33. It’s the first time Ole Miss has won two top-five matchups in a season. Tuesday’s game featured 12 lead changes.

Tennessee, which made 12 3-pointers, led by as many as nine points and for more than 28 minutes.

“I don’t know if we win the game today if Matt and Brake didn’t have the encourage yesterday in practice to confront each other. Both said what they had to say, both listened,” Beard said. “It was one of the top-10 memories of my coaching career in practice. And I felt pretty good about tonight’s game because of that. You can only do that if you have a relationship with somebody.

“ … That was a powerful thing that happened yesterday, and that’s what you need in March. You have to shake the tree in March.”

Trailing by four with 40 seconds to play, Tennessee’s Igor Milicic Jr. hit a 3-pointer while being fouled and tied the game at 76 with the ensuing free throw. Ole Miss senior guard Sean Pedulla missed a 3-point try with 12 seconds to play, but Brakefield was able to grab the rebound after it bounced around on the rim. With time expiring on the shot clock, the Jackson native flipped the ball up and in to give Ole Miss the lead.

Tennessee had one final possession, but Milicic was driven off the 3-point line and tried to get a shot at the rim. His attempt was no good, and fans rushed the court despite the best efforts of the arena’s announcer.

“It was just the confidence that was poured into me by the men around me,” said Brakefield, who has spent the last four seasons at Ole Miss after transferring from Duke. “They know that, as a team, we (are) prepared and that they’ve gotten me ready. So, just knowing they trusted me in those moments, I trusted that they trusted me as well.”

Junior forward Malik Dia and senior guard Dre Davis each scored 13 points. Murrell, a five-year player from Memphis who has spent his entire career at Ole Miss, finished with 12 points.

Chaz Lanier scored seven of Tennessee’s (24-6, 11-6) first 12 points in the game, and the Volunteers jumped out to a seven-point lead just over eight minutes into the half. A 1 for 7 shooting drought for the Rebels allowed Tennessee to take a nine-point lead with 6:28 left, though a 9-0 run capped off by a 3-pointer from Davis tied the game at 29 less than two minutes later. Free throws from senior forward Mikeal Brown-Jones gave Ole Miss its first lead since the game’s opening five minutes, though a late 3-pointer from Jahmai Mashack gave the Volunteers a five-point halftime lead. Tennessee hit 8 of 17 3-pointers in the first half and outrebounded Ole Miss 20-13. Star guard Zakai Zeigler had nine first-half assists.

The Rebels used an 8-0 run to tie the game at 44 just more than four minutes into the second half. Brakefield began shouldering the scoring load midway through the period, scoring 10 points over a three-minute span to tie the game at 61. His turnaround jumper with 6:23 to play put the Rebels ahead by two.

The teams exchanged blows over the next few minutes until a jumper from Davis put the Rebels ahead by four, which wound up being their largest lead of the game. With the deficit still at four, Milicic was fouled by Davis as he shot and made a 3-pointer and then tied the game with a free throw. Pedulla shot a 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining that bounced around the rim before falling into Brakefield’s waiting hands. His subsequent right-handed put-back sent the arena into a frenzy, as did the ensuing defensive stand that sealed the game.

Fans finished their court storming after it was briefly postponed until Tennessee players and coaches left the floor.

“It was a great experience. When you come to college, those are the moments you always want to experience, but you don’t really understand the work that it takes to experience that moment. So, just to be able to share this moment with the guys, especially with Coach Beard, just (with) all what we’ve been through, it’s special.

Ole Miss finishes its regular season Saturday at No. 5 Florida. The game tips at 5 p.m. and will be broadcast on SEC Network.