PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Pilots were dominant defensively in a 54-39 non-conference men's basketball win against Florida A&M Friday night at the Chiles Center. The 39 points allowed was the fewest since Jan. 21, 2010 when the Pilots also gave up just 39 points to Loyola Marymount.
Josh McSwiggan provided the offense for the Pilots (7-7) with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three-point range. Sophomore guards Marcus Shaver Jr. and JoJo Walker added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Junior Franklin Porter grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds for Portland.
Both teams struggled to get into an offensive rhythm in the early going, but the Pilots would hold the Rattlers (3-11) scoreless for the final 5:07 of the first half and closed the period on an 11-0 for a 29-18 halftime lead.