This entry was written by DCist contributor Hayden Alfano

The clock finally struck midnight for George Mason.

The greatest Cinderella run in the history of the tournament came to an unceremonious end Saturday night, as Florida beat the Patriots 73-58 in Indianapolis to advance to the national championship game.

After a competitive first half that saw the Gators take a five-point lead into the break, Florida’s Lee Humphrey hit a trio of three-pointers to break the game open. Plenty of time remained on the clock, but Mason’s offense — potent throughout the tournament — finally stalled. Will Thomas missed several opportunites inside, and the Patriots couldn’t buy an outside shot. Tony Skinn gave GMU a glimmer of hope by hitting the team’s first three-pointer to cut the lead to 11 with six minutes to play, but lost track of Humphrey on the next Florida possession. The Florida junior buried a three — his fifth of the half — to effectively ice the game.

Except on the glass, where Florida held a 36-25 advantage, George Mason wasn’t overmatched — regardless of what the media says. The Patriots ran their offense and got the same looks — inside and outside — that they had gotten all tournament. Saturday night, they didn’t go down, and Florida’s did. That’s the reason the Gators are playing for the championship against UCLA Monday night.