Youngstown -- The Youngstown State women's basketball scored seven straight points after the fourth tie of the second half to hold off Akron in a 58-52 victory on Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly Center.
     The Penguins shot 44.9 percent and allowed a season-low 52 points to the Zips, who were just 10-of-26 from the free-throw line.
    The win was YSU's first of the year at home, and it improves the Guins' record to 2-8 as the team takes six days away from basketball.
     Senior Tiara Scott scored a game-high 16 points while classmate Kelsey Gurganus matched her season-high with 12 points. Scott was 7-for-9 from the field and scored her 500th point as a Penguin in the first half.
    Senior Nikita LaFleur added nine points and eight rebounds, and Macey Nortey had six assists.
    Jolene Tamboue scored 14 points, and Kyle Baumgartner had 11 to lead Akron. Leading scorer Kara Murphy was held to eight points, 10 below her average coming into the game.
    YSU posted a season-high 17 assists on 22 baskets and trimmed its turnovers by 12 from its game at Canisius.
    The Penguins led by seven twice in the first four minutes of the second half before Akron made it close. The Zips scored six straight points to get within 35-34 with 14:50 remaining, and they later held YSU scoreless for 5 1/2 minutes to take its first lead of the half at 42-40 with 8:13 remaining.
    Kenya Middlebrooks hit a jumper on YSU's next possession to tie the score and spark a 6-0 run, and the Penguins never trailed again.
   Akron tied the score at 46 and 48 inside of five minutes, but YSU scored seven straight points over the next 2 1/2 minutes to claim a 55-48 lead with 3:04 left.
    Akron cut the margin to 55-51 with 1:43 remaining, but cut the margin to 55-51 with 1:43 remaining, but YSU's defense held the Zips scoreless until there were nine seconds remaining.
    The Zips missed 12 of their final 16 from the line and were 2-for-8 when they were down by one or tied from 9:51 to 5:37 in the second half.
    The Penguins shot 48 percent and had assists on 10 of their 12 buckets in the first half as they claimed a 28-23 lead at the break.
    Scott scored eight points, including her 500th point at YSU on a jumper with 10:05 remaining that sparked an 8-0 run for the Penguins. Her bucket gave the Penguins a 10-9 lead that they held the rest of the half.
    Akron scored the first five points of the game and led until Scott's layup at the 10:48 mark gave YSU an 8-7 edge. The Zips scored on their next trip down the floor but without a field goal for almost five minutes.
    The Zips cut the margin to one twice before YSU scored eight straight to go up 27-18 on Middlebrooks' jumper with 1:44 remaining.
    YSU has held its last two opponents under 60 points after allowing at least 60 in its first eight games. None of the Penguins' last three foes have shot 40 percent after each of the first seven did.
    The Penguins will wrap up the month by playing at Toledo on Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on NewsRadio 570 WKBN.