Holy Cross Holy Cross/Florida Florida Women's College Basketball recap on ESPN

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Naomi Mobley had 16 points and a career-high 20 rebounds to help Florida overpower Holy Cross 84-52 on Friday night in the first round of the West Regional.

Known all season for their solid guard play, the third-seeded Gators (24-5) won this game on the inside. Backup center Vanessa Hayden had 17 points and nine rebounds. Mobley, a 6-foot-2 power forward, fell just three rebounds short of the NCAA Tournament rebounding record.

With the victory over the 14th-seeded Crusaders (21-9), Florida will face No. 6 seed Washington on Sunday in the second round. The Huskies beat Old Dominion 67-65.

The Gators, who barely missed the tournament last year, returned with gusto, running to a 20-point lead in the first eight minutes in front of their home crowd. They pushed it as high as 25 in the first half, then opened the second with a 9-0 run for a 48-19 lead.

Most of the onslaught came courtesy of a simple strategy: Pound the ball inside to a slew of centers and forwards who were taller, bigger and more polished than those from Holy Cross.

Florida's starting center, Tamara Stocks, finished with 13 points and six rebounds, as the Gators outrebounded Holy Cross 48-27. Guard Brandi McCain had 14 points and four assists, while Tombi Bell added six points and six assists.

Katie O'Keefe had 13 points to lead the Crusaders, who won the Patriot League and made their fourth straight NCAA appearance. Coach Bill Gibbons got his money's worth from the trip, stomping the floor and haranguing the officials, all to very little avail.

Susan Altman had eight points for Holy Cross, which shot just 32 percent, as it remained without an NCAA victory since 1991.

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Holy Cross Clubhouse

Florida Clubhouse