Youngstown -- Saint Francis (Pa.) rallied from five points down in the final minute of regulation and never trailed in overtime to defeat the Youngstown State women's basketball team, 61-54 on Wednesday evening at the Beeghly Center.
     The Penguins rallied from a nine-point, second-half deficit and led 49-44 on Nikita LaFleur's free throw with 53 seconds left. A free throw and bucket got SFU within two, and Samantha Leech hit a fast-break jumper with 3.2 seconds remaining off a missed free throw to force overtime. The Red Flash hit 4-of-5 from the floor in the extra period en route to its first win of the season.
     Saint Francis (1-5) scored the first six points of the overtime as the Penguins were only able to get as close as three points.
     Tiara Scott led YSU with seventh career double-double, posting 16 points and 10 rebounds. Kelsey Gurganus had a season-high 12 points, and LaFleur just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.
     The Penguins were held to a 29.6 percent effort from the floor despite connecting on 44.8 percent in the second half. YSU was 1-for-9 in overtime.
     Despite shooting 1-of-10 from behind the 3-point arc and 8-of-23 from the free-throw line, Saint Francis was still able to win and snap a 15-game losing streak dating back to last season.
     Brittany Lilley scored a game-high 23 points for Saint Francis while Britney Hodges had 13. Allison Daly had six of the Red Flash's 12 points in overtime.
     The Penguins used a strong start to the second half to grab their first lead of the game after going on an eight-point run to open the stanza.
     Ashley Pendleton's put-back with just over two minutes into the second half pulled the Penguins within one. Gurganus then connected from 18 feet to give YSU its first lead of the contest at 25-24 with three minutes gone in the second half. Scott helped push the lead to 27-24 with her second field goal of the game at the 15:41 mark.
     YSU led 31-28 on a LaFleur basket at the 13:12 mark, but Saint Francis was able to stem the tide and make a run of its own.
     The Red Flash went on a 13-1 run over the next five minutes to pull ahead 41-32. During the run the lone Penguin point came on a Pendleton free throw that made the deficit 33-32 before the Red Flash scored the next eight points.
     But YSU came back with a run of its own, scoring eight of the next nine points to get within 42-40. LaFleur went diving for a loose ball in the lane and, after gaining possession, found Scott open for a basket.
     The Penguins trailed 44-42, then Scott took over. She scored six straight points as the YSU defense kept the Red Flash scoreless from the 4:44 mark to the final minute of regulation.
     Scott made two free throws and connected on two put-back buckets to five the Guins a 48-44 lead. With 54 seconds LaFleur made a free throw to give YSU a 49-44 lead.
     But the Red Flash came storming back to force overtime. Daly's free throw was followed by a scoreless YSU possession that let the shot clock expire.
     SFU answered quickly as Lilley scored to cut the deficit to 49-47 with 13 seconds left.
     Forced to foul, the Red Flash sent YSU's Kaitlyn March to the line with just under 10 seconds left. March missed the front end of the one-and-one, and Leach grabbed the rebound and charged up court tying the game on a jumper with three seconds remaining.
     In the first half, the Guins tied the game just twice (2-2 and 16-16) and were never able to grab the lead. YSU's defense kept it in the game as the Red Flash made just 35.5 percent from the field while committing eight turnovers. The offense made 7-of-33 attempts (21.2 percent) in the opening half.
     Down by five, the Penguins scored five straight points to knot the game at 16 with 6:38 left in the half. Trailing 16-11, Gurganus made a free throw and just over a minute later scored to pull YSU within 16-14. March's jumper tied the contest for the second time at 16.
     However ,after that point, Saint Francis went on an 8-1 run to grab its biggest lead of the half at 24-17 on a basket by Leach with 2:06 remaining.
     Rachel Manual scored with 1:44 left in the first half as the Penguins trailed 24-19 at the break.
     YSU begins a three-game road trip this Saturday when the Penguins travel to Bowling Green. Tipoff for the contest at Anderson Arena is set for 2 p.m. and will be carried live on 570 WKBN.