Auburn found itself in a familiar situation Saturday night, clinging and trailing to the slightest of margins against Arkansas.

The reason why the majority of the 8,312 fans left Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum happy centered on the fact that the Tigers experienced a completely unfamiliar ending from so many near-misses of the past.

Tay Waller’s jumper inside the free-throw line with 2:46 to play snapped a 79-79 tie and kick-started a 7-0 run that featured as much tough Auburn defense as efficient offense. The final seconds of Auburn’s 92-83 victory were relatively stress-free compared to the last time these teams met, but the final few minutes followed the typical script.

The Tigers just rewrote the ending Saturday.

“We’ve had a bunch of close games,” point guard DeWayne Reed said matter-of-factly. “We just wanted to win this one so bad and we got the win.”

Auburn (13-14, 4-8 SEC) and Arkansas (14-13, 7-5) traded leads and ties 13 times from the 12-minute mark to 3:00, with Marcus Britt’s layup setting up the seventh and final tie of the game.

That was supposed to be the part of the game where Auburn faltered with turnovers, poor defense or just plain bad luck. Instead, it was SEC West division-leading Arkansas that assumed that role, while the Tigers executed their offense to perfection.

“We made some big plays and big shots,” coach Jeff Lebo said.

None was bigger than Waller’s, which, ironically, wasn’t from behind the 3-point line. Waller, who had his best game of the season with 29 points, took a pass, had plenty of space in front of him about 15 feet from the basket because of a Lucas Hargrove screen and sunk the shot.

“I just ran the play,” said Waller, who did most of his damage by shooting 7-of-10 from 3-point range. “Lucas set the screen and I was wide open.”

Auburn may not have been playing stellar defense in the second half, allowing Arkansas to score 47 points, but it closed the gaps just enough to make three big stops in a row.

Courtney Fortson’s missed layup after Waller’s shot was heavily contested and may have been whistled a foul on another night. And Rotnei Clarke’s 3-point miss after Reed’s driving layup certainly wasn’t as open as the four he made earlier in the night.

“I think both teams were hard to defend because of the way they play and the way they shoot the basketball, but we finally did get a few stops,” Lebo said. “I don’t know if it was because of our outstanding defense or they just missed some shots.”

No matter how it happened, it helped Auburn effectively end Arkansas’ hopes of picking up its seventh win in eight games when Frankie Sullivan penetrated and found Brendon Knox wide open under the hoop for a two-handed slam. Another Arkansas miss turned the final minutes into a foul-shot exhibition, an event Auburn’s typically seen from the other side of the fence this season.

“We had some games earlier in the season when things did not go our way late in the game,” Hargrove said. “For us to come out with the win, it is going to help everybody buy into what coach is saying.

“Hopefully, everyone can get on the same page.”

While Waller provided the bulk of the points, Reed’s play may have been the most important factor. Reed scored 17 points on just seven shots, as he sank all six of his free throws and conducted the most effective offensive performance in conference play during the Lebo era.

Auburn’s 92 points were the most it’s scored against an SEC foe since the 93 it put up against Alabama in the 1999 SEC tournament.

“I just wanted to control the team.” Reed said.

Auburn lost control of its NCAA Tournament fate long ago, but for one night at least, optimism, not slouched shoulders and frowns, were the final products of the Tigers’ late-game execution.

“We know we are a different team from last year,” Hargrove said. “Anything can happen with the conference tournament coming up.”

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