FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Keith Hornsby hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give LSU an 81-78 victory over No. 18 Arkansas on Saturday.
The Tigers (22-9, 11-7 Southeastern Conference) hit 3-pointers on their final two possessions to erase a 3-point deficit. Jalyn Patterson‘s 3-pointer with 57.8 seconds remaining tied the game 78-78.
Arkansas had a chance to take the lead late in the game, but Harris had a shot blocked at the rim by Jarell Martin to give the Tigers the ball with 22.9 seconds left. After LSU coach Johnny Jones called a timeout, Josh Gray penetrated the lane and found Hornsby open in the corner for the game winning shot.
Alandise Harris made six free throws and Anthlon Bell added a 3-pointer in the closing minutes to give Arkansas the lead. The Razorbacks (24-7, 13-5) trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half.
Martin scored 27 points and Patterson had 20 for the Tigers, who were playing without second-leading scorer and leading rebounder Jordan Mickey, who injured his shoulder in a game against Tennessee on Wednesday.
Bobby Portis had 21 points and a career-high 15 rebounds for the Razorbacks. Michael Qualls added 15 points.
The Tigers made 9 of 21 attempts from 3-point range, including six by Patterson. LSU committed more turnovers than Arkansas, but capitalized on the chances it had, scoring 18 points off 12 Razorbacks turnovers.
| SEC Standings, Tournament | |||
| Pos. | Team | SEC | Overall |
| 1. | Kentucky | 18-0 | 31-0 |
| 2. | Arkansas | 13-5 | 24-7 |
| 3. | Georgia | 11-7 | 20-10 |
| 4. | LSU | 11-7 | 22-9 |
| 5. | Texas A&M | 11-7 | 20-10 |
| 6. | Ole Miss | 11-7 | 20-11 |
| 7. | Vanderbilt | 9-9 | 19-12 |
| 8. | Florida | 8-10 | 15-16 |
| 9. | Alabama | 8-10 | 18-13 |
| 10. | Tennessee | 7-11 | 15-15 |
| 11 | South Carolina | 6-12 | 15-15 |
| 12. | Mississippi St. | 6-12 | 13-18 |
| 13. | Auburn | 4-14 | 12-19 |
| 14. | Missouri | 3-15 | 9-22 |
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All times Central SEC Tournament Schedule | Home Nashville, Tenn. Wed., March 11 |
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LSU led 41-35 at halftime and by as many as seven points in the second half. Bell and Ky Madden each made 3-pointers within the span of 43 seconds to help the Razorbacks pull within one point with 7:17 remaining.
Tip-ins:
LSU: The Tigers snapped a four-game losing streak in games played at Bud Walton Arena. The Tigers hadn’t won in Fayetteville since 2009.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks finished one win shy of tying the program record for SEC wins in a season. Arkansas won 14 SEC games during its NCAA championship season in 1994 while playing two fewer conference games.
Up Next:
Both teams will play next week at the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee. Arkansas will be the No. 2 seed in the tournament, while LSU will be the No. 4 seed.
Hornsby at the BUZZER!!! LSU wins a thriller in Arkansas, 81-78. #LSUvsARK Watch » http://t.co/56DdnZshE6 pic.twitter.com/GoRQyzgct5
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) March 7, 2015