The Tigers look every bit worthy of their No. 20 national ranking after pulling out an overtime win against the No. 17 Buckeyes at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum on Sunday.

Alli Smalley and Sherell Hobbs both finished with 23 points, DeWanna Bonner added 17 points and 11 rebounds, and, most importantly, Auburn fought through a rough second-half stretch to come back for what was an exhilerating win.

Auburn head coach Nell Fortner summed things up well upon entering the media room following the game, saying, "I think everybody got their money's worth tonight."

Some quick thoughts on the game:

• Auburn looked like it was going to sail to an easy win before Ohio State went on a 21-3 run to take a seven-point lead. But the Tigers didn't wilt. Afterward, Fortner credited her seniors for the maturity in handling the situation.

• Clutch, clutch, clutch shot by Smalley at the end of regulation, hitting a 3-pointer off a screen on a designed play to knot things up at 75. Smalley made five 3-pointers and was 9-for-17 from the field.

• Speaking of Smalley, she made an up-and-under, double clutch layup in the overtime and punctuated it with a picture perfect Tiger Woods fist pump. Fortner and the rest of the players brought to the post-game interview said they don't see that kind of emotion too often out of the guard.

• Something must have gotten into Hobbs in the overtime. She scored six points and had two steals, helping Auburn out-score Ohio State 12-5 in the extra session.

• Bonner and Big Ten player of the year Jantel Lavender -- the game's two featured players -- didn't have their best efforts. Being matched up on each other probably didn't help. Bonner got her 17 points but was 7-for-20 from the field. Lavender went 9-for-27, getting her 20 points but taking a lot of shots to do so.

• I was very impressed by point guard Whitney Boddie, who made her first start this season. Although she had a team-high five turnovers, it's very clear she makes this offense go, as her 11 assists clearly show. When she left midway through the second half to have her left leg worked on by the trainer, Auburn's offense went through a funk.