Aaron Estrada continued his hot streak with a 32-point performance to help lead the Hofstra Pride men’s basketball team to their third straight win, defeating the Drexel University Dragons 83-73 on Thursday, Feb. 10. With the win, the Pride improved to 16-9 overall on the season and 8-4 in conference play.

“[Estrada] is unbelievable,” said Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton. “He can make shots in a variety of ways, and he’s a tough guard. There was a stretch in that second half, he probably had like eight straight points. It seemed like he did, and he really brought us home, carried us right there.”

The first half of the game was a battle, with 13 lead changes in the first 20 minutes alone. The Pride started the game with a five-point lead, 7-2, with 17:35 still to go. That lead was Hofstra’s largest in the first half. Drexel quickly regrouped and went on an 11-2 run to go up 13-9 with 14:28 remaining.

With just 4:39 left to go in the first half, a three-pointer from Estrada helped bring the Pride to a four-point lead, 32-28. The Dragons responded once again to tie the game up at 32, and they eventually regained the lead, 36-34, with 44 seconds to play. A Caleb Burgess pull-up jumper sent the game to a tie at 36 heading into halftime. Both teams were efficient from the field, with Hofstra shooting 51.7% and Drexel shooting 42.4% for the half.

The second half started similarly, with both teams going back and forth early on. The Pride then began to pull away from the Dragons with a 17-7 run that gave Hofstra a ten-point lead, 55-45, with 10:47 left to play.

Hofstra continued to stay ahead, extending the lead to 14, their largest of the game. A layup by Jarrod Simmons brought the score to 78-64 with 1:19 to go. Drexel’s late-game heroics fell short, and the Pride came away with the ten-point victory.

“Great team effort. Like I always say, whenever you can win on the road it’s a great win,” Claxton said. “Big game from [Jalen] Ray. He had 20 points, [and it was] really good to see him shoot the basketball well again. Then you have [Aaron] Estrada who brought us home.”

Amari Williams led the scoring for Drexel with 19 points. Camren Wynter put up 17 points with five rebounds, and Melik Martin added 14 points.

Estrada’s 32-point game was his fourth 30-point performance of the season and his second in six days. It was an efficient 32 for Estrada as well, shooting 14-21 from the field with four three-pointers. Additionally, he played all 40 minutes of regulation. Estrada also added six rebounds and six assists to the stat sheet.

The Pride also saw a great effort from Jalen Ray, who added 20 points while shooting 6-7 from the field. Abayomi Iyiola put up a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

“It’s good to have [Ray] back and shooting the basketball,” Claxton said. “When we have a perimeter threat like that to go along with Aaron Estrada, we’re a tough team to beat. Hopefully he can continue see the basketball go through the net and keep playing well.”

Hofstra will look to continue their winning ways, returning to the court on Saturday, Feb. 12, when they visit the University of Delaware.

Photo courtesy of Adam Flash/The Hofstra Chronicle