Photo by: Mark Palczewski
Lister already cementing legacy at Millersville
2/20/2019 10:34:00 AM | Women's Basketball, Features
Millersville, Pa. – Lauren Lister is not finished with her sophomore season, yet is already beginning to place her name all over the Millersville record book. She broke the freshman scoring record last season with 378 points and put together a historically dominant performance this season against Shippensburg on Feb. 13.
Lister scored 38 points, 24 in the second half, which is second most all-time in a game in program history. Only Terri Gunder's PSAC record of 48 points against Rowan University during the 1970-71 season sits above Lister in the record book. She shot 64.3 percent (18-for-28), including 78.6 percent (11-for-14) in the second half, while grabbing six rebounds, tallying three assists and tying a season-high with five steals. Lister earned PSAC East Athlete of the Week honors for her performance, the second time in her career she has received the accolade.
"Lauren has picked up right where she left off from last season and done even more," head coach Mary Fleig said. "We all look to her and need her on the court. She's understanding how defenses work at the college level, whereas last season she had only experienced high school defenses."
After opening eyes during her freshman campaign, Lister has only improved and is putting together a historic sophomore season. She is currently averaging 22.3 points per game, ranked 11th in Division II and third in the PSAC, which is on pace to break the single season scoring average record of 20.1 set by Karen Armold during the 1988-89 season. Lister is also just 109 points away from 1,000 in her collegiate career, an accomplishment all the more impressive given the fact that she didn't start regularly until halfway through last season.
Lister is at the forefront of a young Millersville team that is getting hot at the right time. The Marauders have won five of their last six games and are currently tied for fourth in the PSAC East standings with Lock Haven. Prior to that stretch, Millersville sat out of the playoff picture with a record of 6-12. Lister is averaging 27.3 points over the team's last six games.
Half of the team's roster is comprised of freshmen with only one senior and one junior, giving an opportunity for Lister to step into a bigger leadership role. She hopes to become even more of a vocal leader during the rest of her time at Millersville.
"I sometimes lay low and listen to other people," Lister said. "We only have two upper classmen, so the sophomores had to step up this year. I want to become more of a leader and a role player on the court and lead my teammates to success."
Lister has already led her team to success during her first two seasons and has the chance to continue to do so during her upperclassmen seasons. Coming from a family where basketball runs deep and playing with a future Millersville teammate in high school, she was destined for greatness as a Marauder before even stepping foot on campus.
The Lister basketball lineage includes Troy, Lauren's father, a former player at Colorado University and Alicia, Lauren's older sister, who was a guard at Jefferson from 2014-17.
A Blandon, Pa. native, Lister graduated from Fleetwood Area High School in 2017. She competed in track and field for one season and played volleyball all four years, serving as a captain during her senior campaign. She also played basketball all four seasons, leading her team to a 24-6 record and an appearance in district semifinals and states as a freshman. Fleetwood had never been to states prior to Lister's arrival.
Another future Marauder was on that Fleetwood team: Kendra Bamberger. Lister explained that having someone she had already played with helped with her decision to play at Millersville.
"I stayed with her during my recruiting visit," Lister said. "It made me more relaxed having someone here that I already knew. I was able to ask her the tough questions and she was always honest with me."
Bamberger was present for another deep playoff run during Lister's freshman season, this one coming at Millersville. Last season the Marauders, who were picked to finish sixth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) preseason poll, made it all the way to the conference finals for the first time since 2005 after upsetting No. 8 Indiana (Pa.) 89-86 in triple overtime in the semifinal round. The Crimson Hawks were a perfect 16-0 at home prior to the game.
"It was so unexpected, and to get to be a part of it and contribute my skills was a big deal for me," Lister said. "It was a good experience as both a player and a person. I was a very shy person, but that experience helped develop my leadership skills and taught me how to be more independent. I also began to talk more on the court. A lot of good things came out of that run."
Lister was a huge part of that playoff run, scoring 75 points over the course of four games including a 28-point performance in the quarterfinal round at East Stroudsburg. As a freshman, Lister led the team in shooting percentage (48 percent) and ranked second on the team in points per game (12.6). Only senior Alayah Hall had a higher scoring average for Millersville.
"I still remember when Lauren came off the bench in her first game and was an immediate impact on our offense and running game," Fleig said. "She and Alayah were able to feed off each other and both could get out in transition. Lauren has a knack of getting to the rim and she came into this team very fundamentally sound."
Lister's strong skill set as a freshman reminded Fleig of another Marauder legend, Ashley Moyer. Moyer played at Millersville from 2006-10 and is second all-time in program history with 156 3-pointers. Now known as Ashley Moyer-Gleich, she became a full-time referee in the NBA prior to the start of the 2018-19 season, the fourth woman to achieve the feat.
"A lot of fans compared Lauren to Ashley Moyer last season," Fleig said. "Ashley also came in very fundamentally sound in every aspect of basketball. Both showed great foot work, shooting and being able to get to the rim."
Fleig knows that Lister's legacy will continue to grow during the rest of her time at Millersville and that she is more than capable of becoming a vocal leader for the team.
"She's in a position where she can lead the way and say things to help younger kids," she said. "Lauren comes off as very quiet, but I know she's not quiet. She's very direct. Lauren is all business when it comes to basketball."
Lister and the rest of the Marauders continue their playoff push when they host first-place Kutztown on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 5:30 p.m. in Pucillo Gymnasium. Millersville is looking for its sixth win out of its last seven games.
Be the first to know what's going on with the Marauders -- Follow @VilleMarauders on Twitter and Instagram, become a fan of Millersville Athletics on Facebook, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To support the Marauders, join the Black & Gold Club.
Lister scored 38 points, 24 in the second half, which is second most all-time in a game in program history. Only Terri Gunder's PSAC record of 48 points against Rowan University during the 1970-71 season sits above Lister in the record book. She shot 64.3 percent (18-for-28), including 78.6 percent (11-for-14) in the second half, while grabbing six rebounds, tallying three assists and tying a season-high with five steals. Lister earned PSAC East Athlete of the Week honors for her performance, the second time in her career she has received the accolade.
"Lauren has picked up right where she left off from last season and done even more," head coach Mary Fleig said. "We all look to her and need her on the court. She's understanding how defenses work at the college level, whereas last season she had only experienced high school defenses."
After opening eyes during her freshman campaign, Lister has only improved and is putting together a historic sophomore season. She is currently averaging 22.3 points per game, ranked 11th in Division II and third in the PSAC, which is on pace to break the single season scoring average record of 20.1 set by Karen Armold during the 1988-89 season. Lister is also just 109 points away from 1,000 in her collegiate career, an accomplishment all the more impressive given the fact that she didn't start regularly until halfway through last season.
Lister is at the forefront of a young Millersville team that is getting hot at the right time. The Marauders have won five of their last six games and are currently tied for fourth in the PSAC East standings with Lock Haven. Prior to that stretch, Millersville sat out of the playoff picture with a record of 6-12. Lister is averaging 27.3 points over the team's last six games.Half of the team's roster is comprised of freshmen with only one senior and one junior, giving an opportunity for Lister to step into a bigger leadership role. She hopes to become even more of a vocal leader during the rest of her time at Millersville.
"I sometimes lay low and listen to other people," Lister said. "We only have two upper classmen, so the sophomores had to step up this year. I want to become more of a leader and a role player on the court and lead my teammates to success."
Lister has already led her team to success during her first two seasons and has the chance to continue to do so during her upperclassmen seasons. Coming from a family where basketball runs deep and playing with a future Millersville teammate in high school, she was destined for greatness as a Marauder before even stepping foot on campus.
The Lister basketball lineage includes Troy, Lauren's father, a former player at Colorado University and Alicia, Lauren's older sister, who was a guard at Jefferson from 2014-17.
A Blandon, Pa. native, Lister graduated from Fleetwood Area High School in 2017. She competed in track and field for one season and played volleyball all four years, serving as a captain during her senior campaign. She also played basketball all four seasons, leading her team to a 24-6 record and an appearance in district semifinals and states as a freshman. Fleetwood had never been to states prior to Lister's arrival.
Another future Marauder was on that Fleetwood team: Kendra Bamberger. Lister explained that having someone she had already played with helped with her decision to play at Millersville.
"I stayed with her during my recruiting visit," Lister said. "It made me more relaxed having someone here that I already knew. I was able to ask her the tough questions and she was always honest with me."
Bamberger was present for another deep playoff run during Lister's freshman season, this one coming at Millersville. Last season the Marauders, who were picked to finish sixth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) preseason poll, made it all the way to the conference finals for the first time since 2005 after upsetting No. 8 Indiana (Pa.) 89-86 in triple overtime in the semifinal round. The Crimson Hawks were a perfect 16-0 at home prior to the game.
"It was so unexpected, and to get to be a part of it and contribute my skills was a big deal for me," Lister said. "It was a good experience as both a player and a person. I was a very shy person, but that experience helped develop my leadership skills and taught me how to be more independent. I also began to talk more on the court. A lot of good things came out of that run."
Lister was a huge part of that playoff run, scoring 75 points over the course of four games including a 28-point performance in the quarterfinal round at East Stroudsburg. As a freshman, Lister led the team in shooting percentage (48 percent) and ranked second on the team in points per game (12.6). Only senior Alayah Hall had a higher scoring average for Millersville.
"I still remember when Lauren came off the bench in her first game and was an immediate impact on our offense and running game," Fleig said. "She and Alayah were able to feed off each other and both could get out in transition. Lauren has a knack of getting to the rim and she came into this team very fundamentally sound."
Lister's strong skill set as a freshman reminded Fleig of another Marauder legend, Ashley Moyer. Moyer played at Millersville from 2006-10 and is second all-time in program history with 156 3-pointers. Now known as Ashley Moyer-Gleich, she became a full-time referee in the NBA prior to the start of the 2018-19 season, the fourth woman to achieve the feat.
"A lot of fans compared Lauren to Ashley Moyer last season," Fleig said. "Ashley also came in very fundamentally sound in every aspect of basketball. Both showed great foot work, shooting and being able to get to the rim."
Fleig knows that Lister's legacy will continue to grow during the rest of her time at Millersville and that she is more than capable of becoming a vocal leader for the team.
"She's in a position where she can lead the way and say things to help younger kids," she said. "Lauren comes off as very quiet, but I know she's not quiet. She's very direct. Lauren is all business when it comes to basketball."
Lister and the rest of the Marauders continue their playoff push when they host first-place Kutztown on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 5:30 p.m. in Pucillo Gymnasium. Millersville is looking for its sixth win out of its last seven games.
Be the first to know what's going on with the Marauders -- Follow @VilleMarauders on Twitter and Instagram, become a fan of Millersville Athletics on Facebook, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To support the Marauders, join the Black & Gold Club.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballHighlights: Millersville Women's Basketball vs. Kutztown (January 21, 2026)
Thursday, January 22
Highlights: Millersville Women's Basketball vs. Shepherd (January 15, 2026)
Friday, January 16
Highlights: Millersville Women's Basketball vs. East Stroudsburg (January 7, 2026)
Thursday, January 08
Highlights: Millersville Women's Basketball vs. Gannon (December 21, 2025)
Sunday, December 21
