Millersville, Pa. -- True freshman point guard Lauren Lister lead all scorers with 21 points while four more Marauders scored in double figures as Millersville convincingly defeated regional rival Shepherd 78-60 Monday night.

The Marauders returned to Pucillo Gymnasium energized and motivated following their Thanksgiving respite. Millersville started the game with a 7-0 run in the opening two minutes despite Shepherd's efforts to disrupt the offense with a full-court press. The Marauder guards racked up lay ups while redshirt junior Janelle Robinson and junior Jade Farquhar each nailed a triple in the opening quarter. Millersville's red hot start earned them a 22-16 lead as well as their highest scoring quarter so far this season.

The second quarter proved to be the difference maker as the Marauders outscored the Rams 26-9 in the quarter. A five minute, 14-0 run during the middle of the quarter gave Millersville a 20 point lead with less than three minutes left in the half. Farquhar and senior Alayah Hall combined for nine points during the run. Millersville's defense limited Shepherd's opportunities as they forced the Rams' leading scorer Morgan Arden to shoot tough lay ups away from the basket. Another 6-0 run in the final two minutes strengthened the Millersville lead, and the Marauders walked into the locker room at half leading 48-25.

The teams played back and forth in the third quarter and the Marauders maintained a lead exceeding 20 points through the entire quarter. However, the Rams began a run in the final two minutes of the quarter that lasted through the fourth quarter's opening three minutes. Poor shooting, coupled with multiple turnovers, gave Shepherd an opening to go on a 12-0 run that cut Millersville's lead in half. Momentum had clearly swung in Shepherd's favor until sophomore Courtney Dimoff stepped up and scored a tough lay up while drawing a foul. The guard hit her subsequent free throw to help Millersville stop the bleeding. Finally, Lister stepped up and the freshman was instrumental in a Millersville run that put the game out of reach for Shepherd. First, she assisted redshirt junior Kendra Bamberger's lay up with 4:01 remaining before the freshman scored a lay up of her own and scored five more points from the charity stripe in the following two minutes. With a 20 point lead back in hand in the final two minutes, both teams began to sub out their starters while scoring transition points before the final whistle.

The Marauders set season-highs in points (70), field goals made (29), field goals attempted (67), and rebounds (50). The Rams only snagged 32 rebounds in the game, and the disparity proved to be a major factor in Millersville's victory as the Marauders were able to score 16 fast break points and 10 second chance points. Of course, Lister was the x-factor for the Marauders as she scored 21 of Millersville's 22 bench points on 66 percent shooting. Lister's efficiency was not limited to her shooting percentage as her 21 points came in only 23 minutes on the court.

Besides Lister's brilliant performance off the bench, Head Coach Mary Fleig relied on her starters to lead the way. Farquhar scored in double figures for the third time in four games while Robinson scored a career-high 12 points. Hall's 11 points marked the fourth time in five games that the senior point guard has scored double-digit points. In total, the starting five combined for a 56 points along with 37 of the team's total rebounds.

Millersville returns to Pucillo Gymnasium to host conference rival Clarion University on Dec. 2. The Marauders will look to earn their first conference win of the season when the game tips off at 1 p.m.