SAN DIEGO – Jason Johnson registered a game-high 27 points in the Cal State San Marcos men's basketball team's 81-66 exhibition loss to San Diego State on Friday night at Viejas Arena.

Johnson went 10-of-18 from the field and 5-of-9 from behind the arc in his first action in Cougar blue. De'End Parker was the only other Cougar in double figures with 14 points and five boards. Reserve point guard Bobby Macias tallied nine points and a team-high nine rebounds.

"We didn't play incredibly beautiful basketball. We had our moments, but SDSU is just so long and big that we knew we would have issues on the glass," said CSUSM head coach Jim Saia. "…if we would have made some free throws, it might have been a different game. We're not into moral victories, but I think it made us both better."

JJ O'Brien led SDSU with 21 points, while Josh Davis recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The difference in the contest game could be traced to SDSU's presence inside. The Aztecs outscored the Cougars 46-20 in the paint, out-rebounded CSUSM 47-30 and had 24 second-chance points off 14 offensive rebounds. CSUSM's 11-of-24 clip at the line complicated matters further.

CSUSM started the game 1-of-6 and trailed 11-3 out of the gate. The Cougars eventually found their legs, as Johnson drained his first two 3-pointers and CSUSM put together an 8-0 stretch to pull within 27-23 with just over seven minutes left in the half.

During the run, Parker dropped off Malcolm Lemmons' outlet pass to a streaking Quincy Lawson in the paint, and Lawson's one-handed jam brought the Cougar faithful to their feet.

It appeared as though the Cougars would head into the break trailing by double digits, but CSUSM managed to cut the lead. Down by 10, Parker went to the line with four seconds remaining and made his first free shot before clanging the second. Lawson fought for the rebound and eventually knocked it off a SDSU player to give it back to CSUSM with a second left.

Off the ensuing inbounds play, Johnson drained a three at the buzzer to bring CSUSM within six, 39-33 at the break. Johnson had 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the opening half.

He started the second half right where he left off by hitting a three on the Cougars' first possession, bringing CSUSM within three and the closest they had been since the first minute of the ballgame.

SDSU eventually opened up its margin to 11 on Dwayne Polee's three with 11:55 left, but the Cougars chipped away at it once again with a 7-2 run, punctuated by Johnson's fifth three of the ball game to make it 56-52.

Lawson's breakaway dunk off a steal by Parker got the Cougars within 58-55 at the 8:26 mark.

However, SDSU answered with a 6-0 run before O'Brien's 3-point play made the Aztecs' lead 10. O'Brien then found Josh Davis on a bounce-pass inside before Davis slammed it home to virtually put the game out of reach and give the Aztecs their biggest lead of the game, 75-63.

Zack Zaragoza answered with a 3-pointer to cut the SDSU lead to nine with 3:08 remaining, but it would be the last field goal of the game for the Cougars.

The Cougars played in front of a sellout crowd of 12, 414 for the second straight season.

"What they've built here is unbelievable. I coached at Fresno State in 1990 and I've seen 3,000 people at these games. What coach (Steve) Fisher has done to revive San Diego State basketball in his 15th season is absolutely remarkable. (Fisher) is somebody I look up to in the profession," said Saia.

CSUSM will face its second-straight NCAA DI opponent when it travels to play UCLA on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion.