Evade... evade... it doesn't sound like your friend tried to evade; more like he tried to engage immediately, and got cut up in the cross-fire. When I come out of a jump into a fur-ball, I don't just target the nearest guy and start plinking. Evading fire requires you to see it coming at you, and you can't see in all directions at once. I start jinking with turns and thrust spurts until I pull away from the pack a bit, dropping c/m as needed, and can then start, uh, addressing the enemies in a more manageable fashion.

One time, on a high-paying mission I took from the Corsairs to increase my rep with them, I had to get some kinda plans from a Bounty Hunter guy. I went out to the mission waypoint in my Titan, dealt with his "cronies" (as you often have to do before getting to the target and his escorts), and then went after the target... who tried to rabbit after his shields were down. So, I gave chase. And where do you think he was headed? To a jumphole surrounded by a huge swarm of Bounty Hunters in Hammerheads that were not pleased to see me. Then it was my turn to rabbit. This was the first mission I intentionally failed; mere issues of maneuverability are moot when faced with such a threat. As the saying goes, discretion is the better part of valor.