OXFORD — Ole Miss sent out the old 2017 and rang in a new Southeastern Conference year with a victory.

DeAndre Burnett totaled 18 points and six assists, and Markel Crawford scored 17 points as the Rebels beat South Carolina 74-69 in the SEC opener for both teams on Sunday.

South Carolina had a chance to tie the game with less than 30 seconds to play. Wesley Myers passed up a tying 3-point opportunity on the fast break and drove into the paint, where he turned the ball over.

Breein Tyree and Burnett each hit two free throws down the stretch for the Rebels (8-5, 1-0 SEC), and they were able to hang on for the win.

Ole Miss won its conference opener for the first time since the 2013-14 season. It had played SEC power Kentucky in its first league game each of the past three seasons.

Chris Silva and Frank Booker scored 21 points apiece to lead South Carolina (9-4, 0-1), which has lost two of its last three games after winning three in a row. Silva also had 13 rebounds.

The Gamecocks shot just 37.9 percent (22-for-58) from the field, despite hitting going 8-for-20 from 3-point range.

South Carolina outrebounded the Rebels 43-30, but Ole Miss’ bench outscored its counterpart 28-18. Bruce Stevens contributed 10 points for the Rebels.

Ole Miss led 31-30 at halftime and never trailed after Burnett hit a 3-pointer with 8:55 to go to make it 54-52. Neither team led by more than seven points at any time in the game.

Ole Miss will play at Georgia on Tuesday night and host Mississippi State on Saturday.