Ole Miss senior guard Sean Pedulla hit a game-winning 3-pointer with just over one second left Thursday against Arkansas, and the No. 8 seed Rebels took down the No. 9 seed Razorbacks 83-80 to advance to the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament in Nashville.

The game featured six lead changes over the final 12-plus minutes of the second half.

With the game tied at 80 and seven seconds remaining, Arkansas’ Trevon Brazile missed both of his go-ahead free throw tries.

Ole Miss (22-10) led by 15 in the first half and by eight at halftime, and Arkansas led by eight with less than 10 minutes remaining. There were a combined 15 runs of at least five-straight points by either team.

“We consider this a great win, maybe one of the best of the season,” Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard said. “Arkansas had won five of their last six or six of their last seven. To me it was maybe kind of a second weekend-type game. A talented team.”

Five Ole Miss players scored at least 10 points, led by junior forward Malik Dia’s 19. Prior to his game-winner, Pedulla – who spent much of the second half on the bench in foul trouble – had missed each of his six 3-point tries. Ole Miss scored the final six points of the game.

“Shooters keep shooting I guess is the mindset,” Pedulla said. “At that point in the game, it’s March, you got to make a play. My mindset was just get off the best shot possible. Transition three. Felt like nobody picked me up. They did a little bit far back. At that point I was teeing up a good shot, and fortunately it dropped.”

The Rebels face top-seeded Auburn at noon Friday. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.

Ole Miss scored the first nine points of the game, holding the Razorbacks (20-13) without a field goal the first three minutes of the half. Dia scored nine of Ole Miss’ first 11 points and 14 total in the first half. The Razorbacks proceeded to use an 8-0 run to take a 16-14 lead before Ole Miss hit 8 of 9 from the field to go ahead by 11 with 7:21 to play. A 3-pointer from senior guard Jaylen Murray extended the lead all the way up to 15.

Arkansas finished the first half on a 7-0 run and trailed by eight at halftime. Murray scored 10 of his 17 points in the first half.

A three-minute Rebels’ scoring drought early in the second half allowed the Razorbacks to trim Ole Miss’ lead down to two just three-and-a-half minutes into the period, though senior guard Davon Barnes eventually broke up Arkansas’ scoring run with a well-timed 3-pointer. The Razorbacks’ stampede continued, cutting the lead to a point with four straight points from Jonas Aidoo. A 3-pointer from Brazile gave Arkansas a 53-51 lead, part of a 13-2 run that eventually opened the Razorbacks’ lead up to eight.

Ole Miss responded with a run of its own – highlighted by an emphatic dunk from Dia following a steal and fast break – that gave Ole Miss a four-point lead with 5:20 to play. An 8-0 run from Arkansas turned what had been a five-point Rebels lead into a three-point deficit with 29 seconds remaining.

Senior guard Dre Davis made a layup through Arkansas contact and hit a game-tying free throw with 20 seconds to play. With seven seconds left, Brazille was fouled but missed both of his free throws, giving Pedulla and the Rebels a shot at glory.

Pedulla, who hit a game-winning 3-pointer against Oklahoma on March 1, didn’t let the moment pass him by despite his cold shooting to that point.

“I wouldn’t say I was hesitant, just because I’ve shot that shot countless times in my life,” Pedulla said. “I put the work in, basically. So even though I was 0 for 6, I’m a confident player, I shoot confidently. That was what was required tonight.”