Hofstra came to George Mason riding a two-game winning streak.
The former Colonial Athletic Association rivals staged a classic game in Fairfax where the Patriots would outlast Hofstra, 81-77 in overtime.
in the loss, redshirt senior Aaron Estrada continued his assault on opposing defenses.
Estrada finished the game with 31 points on 10-18 shooting from the floor. The only “ding” of the night was a missed free throw at the end of regulation that would’ve put the Pride up one with a little over 3 seconds left in regulation.
Other than that, Estrada played nearly a flawless game.
George Mason defended Estrada in different ways. It was obvious the Patriots wanted to get Estrada off his left-hand. Despite overplaying him, Estrada was still able to maneuver to his left more often than night. He spent the night getting to his spots.
The Patriots also doubled the ball out of Estrada’s hands early in possessions. Something I thought they would more but, head coach Kim English, was strategic in what he showed Estrada at different parts of the game.
The most impressive thing about Estrada is his movements are so efficient, you don’t realize how many points he has. Time after time, Estrada was able to receive the ball in threatening positions so it never looks like he forces anything.
When you crowd him, his handles are good enough to get him in lane. Put a smaller guy on him and he’ll take him to the post.
It’s the reason why he’s shooting 52.6% from the floor.
Estrada’s next test with be the Purdue Boilermakers. A hard nosed Big Ten team that has the ultimate rim-protector in Zach Edey.
But given Estrada’s high basketball IQ, he’ll be up to the test.
