Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson had seen enough.

Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said the Razorbacks still had a Michigan "hangover" Wednesday night.

The Razorbacks “couldn’t throw it in the ocean,” as freshman guard B.J. Young put it, and had managed just 19 points on 14.8 percent shooting in the first half Wednesday night against Auburn.

So Anderson gave them an earful at halftime, and then he and the rest of the coaches walked out of the locker room to let the players talk amongst themselves.

“I just told the team to keep shooting,” junior guard Julysses Nobles said.

“I just told them to keep their focus and keep shooting.”

The Razorbacks did just that, finding their touch after the break and holding off the Tigers for a 56-53 victory in front of 11,350 at Bud Walton Arena.

Arkansas (15-5, 3-2 SEC) shot 55.6 percent from both the field and from three-point range in the second half. But Auburn (12-8, 2-4) still took it down to the wire, missing two three-pointers in the final seconds that would have sent the game to overtime.

“I thought it was a game that was a grinder,” Anderson said. “I appreciate the fans staying around after that first half. You shoot 14 percent, you figure you are really really struggling, and indeed we were. I think the saving grace was our defense. You’re going to have off nights shooting the basketball, and our defense lets us hang around until our offense gets it in gear.”

It was the second consecutive game that came down to a three-pointer at the end. And for the second consecutive game, Arkansas defended the arc well. Kenny Gabriel had the final look at the basket – a shot contested by freshman guard Rashad Madden – and his attempt was long at the buzzer.

Hogs sophomore guard Mardracus Wade had a chance to put the game away at the free-throw line, but he missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with seven seconds left, giving the Tigers a shot at forcing overtime.

Madden also missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 42 seconds left. But he made up for it by coming up with a steal on Auburn’s end of the court, and making a long pass to Young, whose one-handed dunk with 20 seconds left gave Arkansas a 56-51 lead.

Josh Wallace’s layup on a fastbreak with 15 seconds left made it a three-point game.

Arkansas won despite going 4 of 27 from the field, and 1 of 10 from three-point range, in the first half. The Razorbacks trailed 22-19 at the break, staying in the game thanks to their 10-of-14 shooting at the line and 15 first-half turnovers by the Tigers.

The Hogs had nine turnovers in the first half, but made just two in the second half.

“Overall, it wasn’t a thing of beauty,” Anderson said. “As I said, there are all kinds of ways to win a game. When you don’t shoot the ball well, that’s what can happen.”

“We stayed together and we really focused on the defensive end because we couldn’t throw it in the ocean,” said Young, who finished with a team-high 11 points.

Nobles and Madden each scored 10 points, and freshman forward Devonta Abron scored nine.

Nobles added five steals, five rebounds and four assists, and he hit two three-pointers in the first 1:37 of the second half to help kick-start the Razorbacks. He also was the guy who took charge when Anderson walked out of the locker room at halftime to let the players “hash it out.”

“I didn’t say a little. I said a lot,” Anderson said.

“They’ve got to take some ownership as well. They saw how they played. They know what’s at stake. That sense of urgency has to come from them. I said what I had to say. They knew what I was talking about.”

Gabriel finished with 13 points, and Frankie Sullivan and Chris Denson each scored 10 for Auburn, which finished the game with 21 turnovers.

Arkansas returns to action Saturday with a 12:30 p.m. game at Alabama.