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YOUNGSTOWN -- Indiya Benjamin scored five of her game-high 21 points in the final minute as the Youngstown State women's basketball team rallied to beat Saint Francis, 69-68, on Saturday at Beeghly Center.
The Penguins trailed, 64-59, with 1:35 left, before outscoring the Red Flash, 9-4, in the closing moments. Mailee Jones started the rally with a layup in transition, and Benjamin scored the next five points on a 3-pointer and her own transition layup that put YSU ahead, 66-64.
Red Flash forward Ace Harrison was fouled on the next possession and went to the line with a chance to tie the score with 23 seconds left. She made both attempts, but her second was wiped away due to a lane violation.
Jones split a pair of free throws with 6.7 seconds left to put YSU up 67-65, and the Red Flash turned the ball over on their inbounds pass. Jenna Hirsch made two free throws to put the Penguins up 69-65, and SFU's Halee Adams banked in a half-court shot at the buzzer for the final tally.
Jones scored 13 points, Hirsch added eight, and Mary Dunn and Natalie Myers both had seven off the bench for the Penguins, who won for the third time in the last four games.
Saint Francis scored the first eight points of the second half to go up, 43-40, and YSU scored seven-straight points later in the third period to go up, 53-49. The lead changed hands four times in the final period before YSU's late run.
Youngstown State will host Akron on Tuesday at 7 p.m.