OXFORD — Ole Miss basketball forward Jaemyn Brakefield formed an imaginary cradle with his arms after he finished through contact along the baseline.

By the time Brakefield completed his 3-point play, Arkansas had been rocked to sleep.

The Rebels snapped a two-game losing streak with a 77-51 victory over the Razorbacks on Wednesday at the SJB Pavilion. And they have Brakefield's performance at the game's decisive moment to thank.

Ole Miss (16-3, 3-3 SEC) pummeled the Razorbacks (10-9, 1-5) early, running out to a double-digit lead before the first media timeout. By the 10-minute mark of the first half, that lead had expanded to 15.

But Arkansas responded. With 4:08 to play, the Rebels led by just six.

That's when Brakefield broke through to ensure all of Ole Miss' good work didn't result in mere halftime parity.

He battled through a bump to finish one 3-point play at the rim, then drew another foul as he sunk a little floater from the baseline and polished off the ensuing free throw.

His six quick points, and a good end to the half defensively, sent Ole Miss into the break with a 12-point lead. Arkansas never got within single digits again.

Matthew Murrell excellent for Ole Miss basketball

Though timely, Brakefield did not produce the most prolific offensive performance of the evening for the Rebels.

That honor belonged to Matthew Murrell, who was effective inside and out on his way to an 18-point night, and Jaylen Murray, who proved too shifty for the Arkansas defense to handle. He finished with 21.

It was a necessary rebound for Murrell, Ole Miss' talisman. Auburn had limited Murrell to just eight points in a flat-footed Rebels performance on Saturday.

Against the Razorbacks, Murrell was decisive and efficient. He finished the night shooting 7-for-13 from the field, and contributed on the defensive end with two blocks.

UPDATES: Ole Miss basketball live score updates vs Arkansas: Rebels take on Razorbacks in SEC play

Ole Miss basketball defense shows tremendous improvement

That Auburn loss, on a points-per-possession basis, was one of the worst defensive performances that Chris Beard had ever overseen as a head coach.

The Rebels issued an emphatic response to that Wednesday.

Faced with an Arkansas team that already fostered the SEC's worst offense in conference play, Ole Miss produced one of its best defensive showings of the season.

The Rebels were active in passing lanes early, forcing the Razorbacks into 10 first-half turnovers.

In the second half, Arkansas repeatedly challenged Ole Miss' rim protectors inside, with very limited success. Down its top scorer in Tramon Mark, Arkansas shot just 33% from the field.

Up next

Ole Miss heads back on the road with a trip to Texas A&M scheduled for Saturday (7:30 p.m., SEC Network).

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss steamrolls Arkansas, Chris Beard stays perfect at home