Feb. 11, 2009
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AUBURN, Ala. (AP) - The Auburn Tigers once again ran away from Arkansas in the end.
Tay Waller and Lucas Hargrove scored 14 points apiece and Auburn overcame a 10-point second-half deficit to thoroughly dominate the final minutes and beat Arkansas 75-62 on Wednesday night.
The Tigers (15-9, 4-5 Southeastern Conference) outscored the Razorbacks 37-15 down the stretch and didn't allow a field goal over the final 6:33, finishing on a 16-2 run. They closed on a 19-2 surge in a rout at Arkansas earlier this season.
"We got the momentum going," Hargrove said, "and you saw what happened.
It was a familiar sight for the Razorbacks (13-9, 1-8).
Arkansas, which has lost four straight games, has blown two straight double-digit leads in the second half. The Razorbacks had a 15-point halftime lead at Mississippi State before losing.
"Going into the locker room ... we knew we were going to have to overcome adversity again, because they were going to make their runs," said Rotnei Clarke, who had 14 points. "The most frustrating thing is these are games we can win. We've proved we can play with anybody.
"It's just being able to sustain play and find a way to win games down the stretch."
Arkansas had built a 43-33 lead early in the second half. Auburn never led until Waller's 3-pointer with 12:16 left. Reed then added a basket and free throw to cap a 15-2 run and make it 53-49.
The Razorbacks reclaimed a 60-57 lead on Stefan Welsh's back-to-back 3-pointers, but it was short-lived. The Tigers scored the next eight points, capped by DeWayne Reed's 3-of-4 performance from the line during one possession after Razorbacks point guard Courtney Fortson fouled out with 4:23 left and was then called for a technical.
"I don't even remember what really happened on the technical," Fortson said. "I thought it was a questionable call but he's the referee for a reason. I said something to him and he T'ed me up. I was really asking for an explanation."
The freshman and former Alabama Mr. Basketball from nearby Montgomery finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists. He was also whistled for an intentional foul 19 seconds into the game after shoving Reed following the game's first basket.
Arkansas leading scorer Michael Washington was held to six points - 11 below his season average - and nine rebounds. Like Fortson, his playing time was limited by fouls.
"They're their two best players," Auburn coach Jeff Lebo said. "When you get into foul problems, mentally you have to change sometimes how you look at the game."
Rasheem Barrett had 13 points and Reed 11 for Auburn. Korvotney Barber had eight points and 11 rebounds.
Welsh also scored 14 points for Arkansas. He and Clarke combined for seven of the Razorbacks' eight 3-pointers, but the team shot just 27 percent in the second half. Clarke had no points in the second half.
It was the Tigers' first regular-season sweep of Arkansas since 2003. Two weeks earlier, they handed the Razorbacks a 22-point loss, their worst defeat at Bud Walton Arena.
"They made some big plays in the second half and didn't turn it over, and they got to the free-throw line," Arkansas coach John Pelhrey said. "We changed up (the defenses) quite a bit, to a couple of different zones, and then went man. Then we started having a very difficult time scoring the ball. It's a tribute to their defense."
He said most of his team's problems in the second half came down to fundamentals.
"We're fighting on a six-inch playing field between our ears," Pelphrey said.
Clark had scored the last five points of the first half on a layup and a 3-pointer to stake Arkansas to a 39-31 halftime lead. The Razorbacks led despite not getting a point or rebound from Washington, who picked up two fouls in the opening three minutes and sat the rest of the half.
He and Fortson played a combined 45 minutes because of foul problems.
"It's frustrating to be on the bench most of the time," Fortson said. "The only word I have for it is frustrating."