Naomi Mobley (Jacksonville, FL) scored 16 points and grabbed an NCAA West Regional record-tying 20 rebounds to lead the third-seeded Florida Lady Gators (24-5) to a 84-52 win over No. 14-seed Holy Cross (21-9) in the opening round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament on Friday night at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The Lady Gators remained perfect at home all-time in post-season games, now standing at 5-0 in NCAA action and 1-0 in NIT play.
Mobley was one of five Lady Gators who scored in double figures as UF advanced to face No. 6-seed Washington on Sunday night at 8:30 pm ET in the second round. The winner of that game will advance to the Sweet 16 next weekend in Spokane, Wash.
UW was a 67-65 winner over 11-seed Old Dominion in the evening's first game. Loree Payne scored a game-high 20-points, including the game-winner with 0.1 seconds remaining. The Huskies victory snapped Old Dominion's six-year streak of advancing to the Sweet 16.
Mobley's 20 rebounds equaled the total pulled down by Shelda Arceneaux of San Diego State in a March 22, 1984 regional semifinal game against Long Beach State. The previous Florida post-season record was 19 set by DeLisha Milton on March 24, 1997 against Old Dominion in the NCAA mideast regional final. Mobley's 16 points trailed only teammate
Vanessa Hayden's game-high total of 17.
Hayden (Orlando, FL) added six blocks, all coming in the first half, which tied the west regional record set in 1997 by Vanderbilt's Angela Gorsica against Georgia. UF's seven blocks in the game as a team is a new West regional benchmark as well. Her six blocks were one shy of a career-high and blew away the previous UF postseason record total of two, set eight times and last done by Mobley against Wisconsin in last year's NIT Championship Game on March 29, 2000 at UW's Kohl Center.
Florida's defense held Holy Cross to a 32.2% field goal percentage for the game (19-for-59), the fifth-lowest in NCAA west regional history while recording 14 steals, tied for third best in NCAA west regional history. UF enjoyed a 48-27 rebounding advantage in the game.
"We were just trying to play the best basketball that we can play," UF head coach
Carol Ross said. "I don't care if we won by one point or 40 points, it's not very relevant. I do think that we played well and awfully hard. The preparation to come into this tournament has been tremendous."
Holy Cross opened the scoring in the game when Amanda Abraham hit a three pointer from the top of the key but after
Brandi McCain (Silsbee, TX) hit a three of her own for UF at the 18:50 mark the Crusaders would not lead again. UF went on an 11-0 run after Abraham's game-opening three as Holy Cross missed each of its next six shots. UF took control of the game shortly after the 11:42 official timeout. Already up 21-10,
Tombi Bell (Miami, FL) scored on a lay-up, followed by a Hayden short jumper and another by Bell within one minute's time to put UF up by 17. Utilizing a tremendous advantage in the low post, the Lady Gator lead would grow as large as 25 at 39-14 after a Mobley lay-up at the 4:29 mark and the Lady Gators would take a 20-point lead into the locker room at halftime at 39-19.
The 19 first-half points scored by Holy Cross represented UF's best ever defensive half in postseason play (UF twice held a team to 20 in a half) and it equaled HC's low offensive output in the first half this year, tying its December 7 game at Connecticut. Holy Cross shot 8-for-31 (25.8%) from the floor in the first half while the Gators hit on 15-of-31 (48.4%).
Florida opened the second half on a 9-0 run behind a pair of McCain threes as the Crusaders missed their first five shots of the half and did not score until a short jumper by Abraham at the 16:20 mark. UF's lead swelled to 32 at 54-22 after both Bell and
Monique Cardenas (Keystone Heights, FL) scored easy baskets 25 seconds apart off of steals. UF's lead would grow a game-high 37 at 81-44 after a pair of
Tamara Stocks (Pickerington, OH) free throws with 2:50 to play before the game eventually ended with its 84-52 final.
Katie O'Keefe led the Crusaders with 13 points as Holy Cross dropped to 1-9 all-time in NCAA Tournament play and 0-9 away from the Hart Center.
