Loretto, Pa. -- Senior Heather Karner's free throw with 5.4 seconds remaining lifted the Youngstown State women's basketball team to its third straight win with a 58-57 victory over St. Francis (Pa.) on Thursday evening at the DeGol Center.

    Junior Tiara Scott scored a career-high with 15 points and eight rebounds while Karner and junior Toni Roscoe added 12 and 10 points, respectively.

    For the second straight game, the Penguins relinquished a double-digit lead only to recover for the victory.

    St. Francis rallied behind a 17-point second-half performance by Britney Hodges.

     The Red Flash rebounded to cut the Penguins lead to 41-39 midway through the second half but the Penguins were able to extend their advantage to seven, 51-44, after a 3-pointer by Kira Mowen, jumpers by Scott and Nikita LaFleur, and a 3-point play by Kelsey Gurganus with 6:17 remaining.

    The Red Flash scored seven straight to knot the game but Lauren Branson hit a 3-pointer to put the GUins back up 54-51 with 3:07 left.

    St. Francis took its first lead since the 9:50 mark of the first half after two baskets by Hodges, 55-54, then Roscoe answered with her third triple of the game to reclaiming the lead, 57-55, with 1:50 left.

    Whitney Robinson then added a jumper to tie the game at 57-57 with 30 seconds left.

    Trailing 15-11 midway through the first half, the Penguins used a 17-3 run and held the Red Flash without a field goal for almost 10 minutes to take a 28-18 lead.

     Senior Kira Mowen fueled the run with a 3-pointer to bring the Penguins within one, 15-14, and Tiara Scott's two free throws and jumper gave the Penguins a three-point edge, 18-15, with 8:37 remaining.

    Junior Toni Roscoe drilled two 3-pointers to expanded the YSU lead to nine points, 24-15, with five minutes left. Scott converted another jumper at the 3:54 mark to give YSU a 10-point edge, 28-18.

    After a jumper by Karner cushioned the Penguins advantage, 30-18, St. Francis's Janie Killian hit a jumper and Shawna Scott's half-court 3-pointer at the buzzer sliced the Penguins' lead to 30-23 at the intermission.

    Leading 3-2 after a Gurganus free throw at the 17:35 mark, the Penguins went scoreless for almost four minutes and the Red Flash scored seven straight points to take a 9-3 advantage with 14:02 left.

    Two jumpers by Gurganus brought the Penguins within two, 9-7, but the Red Flash was able to extend its lead back to four, 15-11, at 10:40 mark after a jumper by Britney Hodges.

    Youngstown State returns home to host Mid-American Conference member Central Michigan, Wednesday, Dec. 5. Tipoff is slated for 5:15 p.m. at the Beeghly Center and is part of a men's and women's basketball doubleheader.