March 26 (Bloomberg) -- George Mason University defeated top- seeded Connecticut 86-84 in overtime to advance to the Final Four of the National Collegiate Athletic Association men's basketball tournament for the first time in school history.

Jai Lewis had 22 points and six rebounds for 11th-seeded George Mason, which becomes the lowest-seeded team to reach the Final Four since Louisiana State in 1986. Will Thomas added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Patriots.

George Mason (27-7) will face either Villanova or Florida in the national semifinals April 1 in Indianapolis.

Rudy Gay scored 20 points and Jeff Adrien had 17 points and eight rebounds for Connecticut, the top seed in the Washington regional. UConn's Denham Brown, who finished with 11 points, sent the game to overtime with a layup as time expired in regulation. He missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime that would have won the game.

To contact the reporter on this story: Larry DiTore in New York, at lditore@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: March 26, 2006 17:21 EST