FAYETTEVILLE — It looked like Arkansas was in for its fourth consecutive blowout victory when the Razorbacks jumped ahead of Ole Miss by 14 points less than eight minutes into Saturday’s game.

But Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey knew better.

“I would love to have seen Ole Miss say, ‘Yeah, you can have it, blow us out, ’” Pelphrey said. “But that never happens.”

Arkansas had to withstand several Ole Miss comebacks to hang on and beat the Rebels 75-69 before 19, 916 fans at Walton Arena.

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The Razorbacks (17-6, 6-2 SEC ) won their fourth consecutive game, but the previous three victories over LSU, Mississippi State and Florida were by an average of 18. 3 points.

“We didn’t think for a second this was going to be easy, even at the start,” Arkansas senior forward Sonny Weems said of the Razorbacks taking a 16-2 lead. “Ole Miss is a tough team, and we knew they were going to hang tough and make a run at us.

“ We just had to keep our composure, and we did that. We didn’t try to force anything, and we didn’t panic.”

Ole Miss (16-5, 3-5 ) trailed 34-29 at halftime and tied the score at 36 with 17: 35 left on senior forward Kenny Williams’ dunk.

Arkansas moved ahead 42-36 on a three-point basket by sophomore guard Patrick Beverley, but the Rebels again responded and pulled within 45-43 on David Huertas’ threepointer with 13: 08 left.

The Razorbacks then outscored the Rebels 10-0 over a 3: 02 span, including five points by Weems, to push their lead to 55-43 with 9: 55 left.

But the Rebels still weren’t finished.

Freshman guard Chris Warren, who had a season-high 26 points, scored 11 in a row, including a three-point basket with 49 seconds left that cut Arkansas ’ lead to 70-67.

“Chris Warren was spectacular,” Pelphrey said.

The Razorbacks then went to Weems, who finished with a team-high 22 points, and he scored on a drive to make it 72-67 with 20. 6 seconds left.

After a missed jumper by Ole Miss guard Zach Graham, Beverley got his 13 th rebound of the game and hit two free throws with 11. 4 seconds left to clinch the victory and finish with 17 points.

“I love Patrick Beverley,” Rebels Coach Andy Kennedy said. “He’s just got such a motor.”

Arkansas shot 39. 1 percent from the field (25 of 64 ) and hit just 6 of 25 three-pointers and 19 of 32 free throws.

“We missed a lot of shots and missed a lot of free throws, but at the end of the game, people stepped up and made big plays,” Beverley said. “When it’s all said and done, no matter if you win by 100 points or one point, a win is a win and we got this one.”

It was a home game the Razorbacks couldn’t afford to lose with four of their next five games on the road, beginning on Wednesday night at No. 7 Tennessee.

“It wasn’t always easy for us, but that’s one of the benefits of playing at Arkansas,” Pelphrey said. “Our fans mean so much to us and the energy and passion we get from them, it’s very difficult to put a measuring stick on that.”

While the Razorbacks struggled with their perimeter shooting, they outrebounded Ole Miss — which came into the game with an SEC-leading plus-7. 0 margin — 47-39 and had a 16-10 advantage on the offensive boards. That led to a 17-10 edge in points in the paint for Arkansas.

Razorbacks senior forward Darian Townes led the inside game with 14 points to counter Ole Miss senior Dwayne Curtis, who had 12 points and 14 rebounds.

“I thought their size and strength at the basket overwhelmed us at times,” Kennedy said.

The Razorbacks overwhelmed the Rebels all over the court in the opening minutes, when Kennedy said his team played “timid” and let Arkansas do what it wanted.

“I thought from that point on, our effort was pretty good,” Kennedy said. “But our execution failed us, as it’s done from time to time throughout the course of the year, and we got beat by a better team

“ Arkansas certainly has found their identity as a team. They play extremely hard, and they play to their strengths.

“ That’s the sign of a wellcoached team. John has done an excellent job.”

Arkansas hasn’t lost since an 82-69 defeat at Georgia three weeks ago, after which Pelphrey held a 1: 30 a. m. practice immediately after the team returned home.

The Razorbacks responded by turning up their intensity, especially on defense.

“Coming out of Georgia, you weren’t really high on ripping off four in a row, but we’ve done that,” Pelphrey said. “The season is not over.

“ We’re halfway through. Many, many challenges lie ahead.”