Fairfax, VA - Redshirt senior Aaron Estrada poured in 31 points and nearly willed the Hofstra men's basketball team to road victory before the Pride dropped an 81-77 decision to George Mason on Wednesday evening at EagleBank Arena. 

Estrada was 10-18 from the field and added five rebounds and two assists in the contest. 

The loss ends a short two-game win streak for Hofstra, which drops to 6-3 on the season. George Mason improved to 4-4 with the victory. 

Trailing by one, 14-13, at the 11:13 mark of the first half, Hofstra used a 14-2 run to open up a 27-16 lead with less than five minutes to play in the half following a basket from redshirt senior Tyler Thomas. Estrada had six points during the run, while Thomas added four. 

After the Pride took a five-point halftime advantage, the Patriots opened up the second stanza with a 10-2 run to take a 36-33 advantage just over three minutes into the half. It was a back-and-forth half with Hofstra retaking a five-point lead on a pair of occasions before George Mason took its largest lead of the game at 61-54 with 5:27 to play in regulation. The Pride immediately scored seven straight to knot the score, setting up the exciting finish. The Patriots would eventually take a two-point lead on a free throw with 11 seconds left before Estrada went the length of the court and tied the game up with a layup; which eventually sent the contest to overtime. 

In the extra session, graduate student Bryce Washington gave the Pride the first lead as he grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in. Trailing by two with 36 ticks left in overtime, Hofstra would have the opportunity to tie the score but the Pride was unsuccessful on a trio of attempts and the Patriots hit four free throws in the final 12 seconds to earn the win. 

Thomas added 14 points and four rebounds for the Pride, while graduate student Warren Williams had seven points, six rebounds, and three blocks. 

Josh Oduro had 21 points and 11 rebounds for George Mason, which also got 14 points from Ronald Polite III and 13 from DeVon Cooper. 

Hofstra will have a week off until it returns to action at #5 Purdue on Wednesday, December 7 at 7 p.m. 

NOTES
- Tonight marked the 24th all-time meeting between Hofstra and George Mason. The Patriots lead the all-time series, 16-8. 
- The 30-point game was the sixth of Estrada's career and his second this season. 
- The overtime game was the Pride's first since an 85-78 win over James Madison on February 5, 2022. It marked Hofstra's first overtime defeat since an 83-75 loss in the 2021-22 season opener to #15 Houston on November 9, 2021.