AUBURN | No. 22 Auburn came into Saturday night’s showdown against No. 13 Arkansas as the worst 3-point shooting team in the SEC.

But it was the Razorbacks that couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn.

The Tigers beat Arkansas 72-59 at Neville Arena, as a stifling defense held the visitors to 33.9 percent shooting from the floor including just 2 of 16 from 3-point range.

"Well, you guys have seen us play all season, all fall. We needed that," said AU coach Bruce Pearl. "I think everybody in here would agree we needed that. Could you have expected it? I don't know. But they really showed me something tonight -- the bounce-back, the quick turnaround, played great from the start.

"Beating Arkansas, 13th ranked, it's probably one of the top four or five wins I've had here at home, in Neville Arena. It's an important win. And it was start to finish. So I'm very proud of the kids. You know, it was just a great team effort."

The Hawgs were also awful from the foul line, making just 19 of 32.

Auburn, which improves to 12-3 on the season and 2-1 in the conference, shot 43.6 percent from the floor including 7 of 21 from beyond the arc. The Tigers also made 17 of 22 from the charity stripe.

Wendell Green led Auburn with 19 points, five assists and three steals. Allen Flanigan added 18 points and eight rebounds, and Johni Broome 10 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots.

"It definitely boosts the confidence," said Flanigan. "It shows what we're capable of, night in and night out, so now we've just got to stick to it and put games and days back-to-back, put them together."

Auburn led 36-25 at the break, making 5 of 11 3-pointers and committing just four turnovers in the first half. AU finished with eight turnovers, scoring 25 points off 14 Arkansas turnovers.

"Arkansas is better from 2 than 3, and that little flat, 2-3 zone bothered them. They really struggled with it. They're going to see that all year long," said Pearl.

The Tigers led by double-digits for most of the second half, making their final five shots to seal their 27th consecutive home win.

Auburn returns to action Tuesday night at Ole Miss. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU.