The Tigers did Sunday what they though was impossible four years ago. Their win against Georgia coupled with Vanderbilt's loss at Ole Miss gave the Tigers at least a share of their first SEC regular season title since 1989.

According to the players, head coach Nell Fortner told her current seniors when she was recruiting them four years ago that this was possible. They were skeptical.

“Of course, when you’re freshmen (and) you don’t even get to the WNIT, we’re like, ‘Oh no, coach. We’re not going to do this,’” forward DeWanna Bonner said. “We was like, ‘We (stink). What are you talking about?’”

“That was our vision,” Fortner said. “And we felt like we could do that with that recruiting class. … We’ve worked hard with them for four years, and now we’ve seen it pay off.”

Bonner led the way with 22 points and nine rebounds. Whitney Boddie added eight points, nine assists and six rebounds.

No. 3 Auburn (26-2, 11-2 SEC), which should drop when Monday's polls are released after losing at Vanderbilt on Thursday, can clinch the outright SEC title with a victory next Sunday at home against Arkansas.

A win or a Vanderbilt loss in its regular season finale would give Auburn the No. 1 seed heading into the SEC tournament, which begins March 5 in Little Rock, Ark.

“I don’t want to share it,” Fortner said. “If you have an opportunity to win it, you want to win it.”

Other thoughts from the game ...

• Reserve forward Chantel Hilliard gave Auburn a spark off the bench, scoring eight points, six of which came during a two-minute stretch during which the Tigers took the lead for good. But she went down with a scary knee injury with 2:44 to go. Fortner didn't know how serious it was afterward, but it didn't look good. Hilliard was in serious pain on the court and had to be carried off the court. A season-ending injury wouldn't surprise me.

• That's a blow to Auburn's bench, which was light even before Hilliard's injury. Besides Hilliard, the Tigers got 10 minutes and no points out of their remaining bench players, Reneisha Hobbs and KeKe Carrier. That'll be a concern if Hilliard can't come back.

• Other injury concerns: Trevesha Jackson has lingering knee problems and Hobbs took a hard fall in the second half. Auburn might have to just go with five players the whole game.

• Impressive showing by Georgia's forwards. Angel Robinson had 17 points and 14 rebounds and Porsha Phillips added 13 points off the bench. Teams are trying to muscle up against Auburn. It'll be interesting to see how the Tigers respond. “It’s a physical game and you’ve got to be able to stand up to it and give it back to them,” Fortner said. “It’s just the way it is.”