Nov. 23, 2008
Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery 
AUBURN - The No. 20 Auburn women's basketball team erased an eight-point deficit in the final six minutes against No. 17 Ohio State on Sunday, sending the game into an overtime period that resulted in an 87-80 Tiger win. The win was Auburn's first against a ranked opponent this season as it improves to 4-0 on the season. OSU drops to 3-1 after the loss.
"We saw our veterans really do what veterans do and that has been a long time coming for us," said Auburn head coach Nell Fortner. "These kids have worked hard. Alli Smalley played like a veteran today and I think that is why we won the ball game."
Sophomore Alli Smalley and senior Sherrell Hobbs both put 23 points on the board while SEC Preseason Player of the Year DeWanna Bonner picked up her first double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Smalley hit a three-pointer with 28 seconds left in regulation, sending Auburn into its first overtime game in nearly two years.
"We had actually worked on it right before the game," said Smalley on her game-tying shot. "Sherrell Hobbs and Jordan Greenleaf set two really good screens on a girl. I just came off and was open."
The Tigers out-scored the Buckeyes 12-5 in the overtime period. A quick jumper from Whitney Boddie put the Tigers ahead just seconds into overtime and AU would never look back. The overtime victory was the first since defeating James Madison, 79-76, at the Miami Holiday Tournament on Dec. 28, 2006.
Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year Jantel Lavander led Ohio State with 20 points and 12 rebounds, followed by Star Allen with 18. Samantha Prahalis chipped in 15 points while Ashlee Trebilcock came off the bench to round out the double-digit scorers with 11.
"We needed some stops," said Ohio State head coach Jim Foster. "We had some breakdowns defensively. I thought we had it going offensively, but maybe not to the level defensively that we needed to."
Auburn went into the half up 42-38, shooting 42.1 percent from the field and converting on 4-of-6 three-point opportunities. Bonner led the Tigers through the first half with 11 points and six rebounds.
The Tigers opened the second half on an 11-4 run to open its lead up to 11 points - the first double-digit lead of the game. The run was sparked by a Smalley three-pointer just 10 seconds into the second half. Ohio State came back with a 15-3 run at the 9:22 mark in the second half, taking its first lead since the 10:31 mark in the first.
Auburn forced 23 Ohio State turnovers while picking up a total of 14 steals from seven different Tigers in the game, including four steals each from Hobbs and Boddie. The Buckeyes out-rebounded the Tigers 49-46, led by Lavender's 12.
Auburn shot 41.8 percent for the game, including a 66.7 percent, 6-of-9 effort in overtime. The Tigers were also 13-of-18 from the line for 72.2 percent - the team's best outing from the charity stripe this season.
Auburn returns to action at 7 p.m., Wednesday as the Tigers travel to Birmingham, Ala., to take on UAB (1-2) at the Bartow Arena. Ohio State returns home for a 6:30 p.m., Tuesday meeting with Hartford (3-1).