Tigers take flight at Arkansas

BOX SCORE: Auburn 90, Arkansas 86

Auburn has been remarkably inaccurate with its shooting during the past three weeks, but that changed in a big way.

Guard Bryce Brown knew something was different during shoot-around hours before the Tigers' game at Arkansas Wednesday. Shots that often miss instead were on the mark. Several players noticed.

Optimism abounded.

"Everybody seemed to be hitting," Brown said. "We thought that if we could carry it over to the game, we’d be good."

They were indeed. Auburn shot 61 percent from the floor and nearly was perfect during the final minutes in all respects of its 90-86 victory in Fayetteville.

The win ended a losing streak that lasted two days short of a month.

"That one there is for the kids," coach Bruce Pearl said. "They’ve been beat down pretty good. They could have cashed it in. It took a monumental effort, a special performance by a bunch of people at the same time to make this happen."

Auburn made its most important move during the second half. The visitors started slowly coming out of halftime, as often is the case, and fell behind by nine points with 14 minutes remaining. Still, they didn't panic in the face of Arkansas' full-court pressure and instead went about their business as if everything was unfolding in a pleasing manner.

Good things started happening. A layup from Tyler Harris. A dunk from Horace Spencer. A turnover created by a deflection. Three minutes after the Tigers appeared to be on the brink of extinction, their deficit was down to two points.

Game. On.

Everyone in an Auburn uniform made a meaningful contribution during the second half. TJ Lang and Bryce Brown went 6-of-8 from long range, Bowers hit free throws and managed things on the scoring end, Harris passed masterfully as well, Horace Spencer blocked three shots and scored four points, Jordon Granger grabbed five rebounds and dished out a trio of assists.

A final barrage of threes swung momentum permanently into Auburn's favor late. Lang hit the first with 2:33 remaining to cut Arkansas' lead to one point, hit a second at 1:55 to move the Tigers ahead by four.

Brown then sent fans scurrying for the exits with another bit of long-range accuracy at the 1:16 mark. That pushed Auburn ahead by five and cleared the way for Bowers, a 55-percent shooter from the line, to hit three of his final four free throws.

That sealed the win.

"We did everything together today," said Brown, who finished with 27 points. "I believe that’s what led us to victory."

Auburn went 15-of-23 from long range Wednesday night and finished with 18 assists despite taking the floor without a scholarship point guard. Also, Harris added 19 points, five assists and five rebounds to end a run of poor form.

The Tigers (10-15, 4-9) resume play Saturday afternoon at home against Ole Miss.