Hogs win in dramatic fashion, 57-55
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AUBURN, Ala. (AP) Delvon Johnson dunked with 6 seconds left to lift Arkansas to a 57-55 win over Auburn on Saturday for a second-straight dramatic win.
Auburn's Josh Wallace then sent a desperate 3-point attempt off the glass and the rim.
The Razorbacks (18-10, 7-7 Southeastern Conference), who are trying to secure a No. 2 seed in the league tournament, won for the fourth time in five games. That includes a 77-76 overtime win over No. 22 Kentucky on Wednesday night.
Auburn (9-19, 2-12) managed to rally from 13 points down. The Tigers, who also dropped a two-point decision at Alabama on a last-second shot three nights earlier, tied it up on Kenny Gabriel's layup off a pass from Josh Wallace with 28 seconds left.
Then Julysses Nobles fired a pass inside for the winner to Johnson, who had only six points but won it with a powerful slam.
The Razorbacks set up the final play after working half the time off the clock and calling time out following Gabriel's basket. They had won only one of their previous six SEC road games.
Rotnei Clarke led the Razorbacks with 17 points, including 3-of-7 3-pointers.
Marcus Britt added 10 points and seven rebounds. Johnson and fellow post player Marshawn Powell both were limited by foul trouble and combined for 10 points, 17 below their combined average. But Johnson also collected seven rebounds for the Razorbacks.
Gabriel had 13 points for the Tigers while Earnest Ross scored 11 and had seven boards. The two combined for six points on 3-of-11 shooting in the first half before leading the Tigers back from a 13-point deficit over the final 11 minutes.
Auburn had surged to within four points four times after that, the last time on Gabriel's long 3-pointer with 3:17 to play.
Neither team could score again until Rob Chubb's layup off an inbounds pass from Tony Neysmith cut the Arkansas lead to 55-53 with 1:20 left. The Razorbacks' Nobles then worked off most of the shot clock before settling for an off-balance attempt that missed and gave Auburn the chance to tie it.
The first half went similarly. The Razorbacks lost much of a 13-point lead but still went into halftime up 27-20, despite a frustrating finish.
Britt was called for goaltending on Wallace's long 3-pointer at the buzzer that appeared well short.
It was the Tigers' first 3 and only seventh field goal of the half. They had six turnovers in the first four minutes, but only one in the second half.