OCEANSIDE, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos men's basketball team trailed with 5:35 to play, but held Cal State East Bay to just a pair of field goals the rest of the way en route to a 71-60 victory in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play on Thursday night at MiraCosta College.

CSUSM improves to 7-5 overall and 5-2 in CCAA play, while CSUEB drops to 5-8 overall and 1-5 CCAA.

Akachi Okugo and Darnell Taylor led the Cougars with 19 points apiece and both senior guards hit big shots down the stretch. Taylor nearly missed a double double with nine rebounds.

Trailing 55-54 with just over five minutes remaining, Okugo hit back-to-back 3-pointers to help the Cougars snag a five-point advantage. After a layup by Ryan Okwudibonye pulled East Bay back within three, Taylor responded with a tough up-and-under layup.

After a stop on the defensive end, the Cougars ran down the shot clock before Taylor hit a step-back jumper to make it 64-57 at the 2:11 mark.

Collin Host's breakaway dunk made it 66-57 and he added two free throws to push the lead to 11 with 53 seconds to play.

Okugo and Taylor iced the game at the free throw stripe.

CSUEB's 5-of-9 clip from behind the arc helped the Pioneers take a 32-31 advantage into halftime, but the Cougars responded out of the break with a 10-2 run to lead by seven at the 16:44 mark. East Bay went 3-of-8 from 3-point range in the second half.

The Cougars scored just four baskets over the next eight minutes, and East Bay would lead 52-48 at the 7:28 mark. However, a pair of free throws by Taylor and a layup by Daly helped keep the Cougars close before Okugo's big 3-pointers.

Jalen Richard led the Pioneers with a game-high 22 points while Okwudibonye added 13.

The Cougars move on to face Cal State Monterey Bay in CCAA action on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at MiraCosta College.