Michael Conroy / AP

Florida's Joakim Noah celebrates a dunk. Noah and the Gators advanced to the national title game with a win over George Mason on Saturday.

updated 12:38 a.m. ET April 2, 2006

INDIANAPOLIS - Lee Humphrey lingered outside the arc, determined to keep on shooting.

Swish. Swish. And make it three.

Appropriately enough, the longshot of Final Four was doomed by the long shot.

Humphrey hit three straight 3-pointers to start the second half and Florida brought George Mason back to reality Saturday night, ending the Patriots’ stunning run through the NCAA tournament with a 73-58 victory.

In all, the Gators made a dozen shots from outside the 3-point stripe — tying a national semifinal record. Humphrey had six of them, leading Florida into Monday night’s championship game against UCLA.

“Humpty was a monster tonight,” teammate Joakim Noah said. “When he’s hitting shots like that, we’re tough to beat.”

Too tough for 11th-seeded George Mason (27-8), the charming mid-major from the suburbs of northern Virginia, which knocked off the last two national champions and half of last year’s Final Four on its way to Indy. The feel-good Patriots simply couldn’t handle an immensely talented team that has arrived at the cusp of the school’s first national title a year ahead of schedule.

The youthful Gators (32-6) have probably been the most impressive team in the tournament, withstanding only one serious challenge in their five wins. They are winning by an average of 16 points a game in the postseason.

“We’re playing our best basketball all year and we’re a really tough team,” said Al Horford, one of four sophomores in the starting lineup. “You can’t stop us.”

March Madness slide shows AP   Title time Best images from Florida-UCLA in men’s championship game. AP   Turtle wax Top images from Maryland’s overtime win over Duke for its first NCAA title. Reuters   The Final Four See images of Saturday's games where four teams become two. Getty Images   Eight is great Click to see images from the Elite Eight round of the 2006 NCAA tournament. Getty Images   Super Sweet 16 The best images from NCAA Tournament's second weekend. AP   Round 1 & 2 Best images from opening weekend of Big Dance.

Humphrey, a junior, is largely overshadowed by his younger teammates. And he struggled in the first half, making only 1 of 5 shots — all of them from beyond the stripe.

But coach Billy Donovan told the guard to keep on shooting, and Humphrey responded with the three straight 3s that pushed the Gators to a 40-28 lead before two minutes were gone in the second half.

“He’s a silent assassin,” said another of the sophomores, Corey Brewer. “He doesn’t get a lot of hype. Nobody knows too much about him, but Lee Humphrey wins basketball games for the Florida Gators.”

The Gators are heading to the second title game in school history. They lost to Michigan State in the 2000 final.

Humphrey finished with 19 points and 6-of-12 shooting from 3-point range. He was joined in the outside barrage by Brewer and Taureen Green, who hit three treys apiece for a team that went 12-of-25.

“I felt good tonight,” Humphrey said. “My teammates did a good job of moving the ball around. I got some good looks.”

By comparison, George Mason missed its first nine 3s and finished 2-of-11 — both of them coming too late to make any difference. They were much more accurate in their four tournament wins, making 26-of-62 (42 percent).

On the inside, the Gators were nearly as dominating. Noah — his father, former tennis star Yannick Noah, cheering him on from the stands — scored 12 points. Horford grabbed 13 rebounds.

Florida finished with a 40-27 edge on the boards, playing keep-away in the final two minutes with three straight offensive rebounds.

“We came into the game feeling good about ourselves and feeling good about our chances,” said George Mason coach Jim Larranaga, who tried to inspire his team with a pre-game poem. “For some reason, we were never really able to establish our rhythm, either offensively or defensively. And Florida’s ability to get so many second shots really hurt us.”

More news

Jae C. Hong / AP

Is this rule working?

CBT: With all the hand-wringing the media does in regards to the NCAA and its rulebook, there may not be a rule in all of college basketball that has been able to unite the masses like the new early entry deadline

CBT: Who wants to buy James Naismith's home?

Headlines

• Label

CBT: 4 Indiana schools extend Crossroads Classic

CBT: Stony Brook says it's staying put ... for now

CBT: Will Michigan re-hang the Fab Five banners?

CBT: Fine's wife to sue ESPN for libel

CBT: Coach K gets a lot of bucks and bennies

CBT: ACC will include all 14 teams in tournament

Recruiting rundown: ‘Bama lands Jimmie Taylor

CBT: Nolan Richardson's son found dead