PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Pilots dropped a 76-70 decision to the Eastern Washington Eagles on Sunday night in an exhibition game at the Chiles Center. The late addition to the schedule was approved by the NCAA as all tickets and proceeds benefitted Hurricane Maria disaster relief efforts in Puerto Rico.

The fundraiser was important for head coach Terry Porter and the Pilots as true freshman point guard JoJo Walker is from Puerto Rico and still has family and friends on the island.

It also served as an opportunity for Pilot fans to get a look at the many newcomers to Porter's roster as he begins his second year on the Portland sidelines. The program's nine-player 2017 recruiting class was ranked as high as No. 10 nationally by one publication.

The Pilots faced a tough Eastern Washington squad coming off of a 22-win season and postseason appearance a year ago.

Senior center Philipp Hartwich led the Pilots with 15 points and 13 rebounds, while sophomore Franklin Porter and freshman Malcolm Porter added 13 and 12 points, respectively.

The Eagles had four players in double figures led by 18 points and nine rebounds from Charlotte transfer Benas Griciunas. Sir Washington added 16 points, while Bogdan Bliznyuk finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Eastern Washington jumped out to an early eight point lead behind hot perimeter shooting and maintained an edge throughout the entire first half. The Eagles drained 9-of-18 three-pointers in the first half and took a 39-33 lead into the break.

Portland took its first lead of the night at 50-47 on a D'Marques Tyson three-pointer with 11:48 left. The Eagles responded with an 11-3 run to re-gain the lead and would fight off a flurry of Pilot rallies late. Portland would cut the deficit to one possession seven times in the final six minutes, but EWU answered each rally and converted free throws down the stretch to secure the win.

Portland struggled to capitalize at the foul line and finished just 14-for-28 overall at the stripe, while the Eagles were 9-for-11. The Pilots shot 43 percent overall and 8-for-23 from three-point range compared to 39 percent for EWU overall and 13-for-31 from beyond the arc.

The Eagles also gained a 43-38 rebounding margin and 17-6 edge in second chance points.

In addition to Walker and the Porter brothers making their unofficial Pilot debuts, freshmen Tahirou Diabate and Marcus Shaver Jr., as well as sophomore Josh McSwiggan saw significant action.

The Pilots will have one more exhibition game, Saturday, Nov. 4 at 5 p.m. versus Lewis & Clark College at the Chiles Center. The team opens the regular season against Portland State on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Chiles Center.

Season tickets, mini packs and single game tickets are available now by visiting PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or contacting the Pilot Box Office at (503) 943-7525.