Lauren Lister, already the all-time leading scorer in Millersville women’s basketball history, is on the brink of 2,000 career points.
However, the only numbers the Fleetwood grad and redshirt senior guard said she is currently concentrating on are the Marauders’ wins and losses.
“I try to block it out,” said Lister, who has scored 1,997 points. “I don’t keep track of how many points I have. I’m just trying to focus on winning and getting into (the) playoffs.”
Lister is trying to guide Millersville to a berth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament, which will feature the top six teams from each of the East and West divisions. With a 6-14 league record, the Marauders are sixth in the PSAC East.
“A goal for our team is definitely to make (the) playoffs,” Lister said. “That’s not out of sight.”
Millersville will conclude its regular season this week with a pair of home games. The Marauders will play West Chester on Wednesday before hosting Lock Haven on Saturday.
Prior to this season began, only 14 players in PSAC women’s basketball history had scored 2,000 points.
“It would be very special, but obviously I couldn’t do that without my teammates,” Lister said. “I’m just trying to push forward and hopefully get it.”
Lister, who is averaging 14.0 points per game, is Millersville’s leading scorer by a wide margin. However, her impact stretches beyond the stat sheet.
“Lauren has always been a lead-by-example type of person,” Marauders coach Sharay Hall said. “She’s going to show you what needs to be done and she’s going to hold you accountable.”
Lister broke the program’s all-time scoring record of 1,543 points as a junior during the 2019-20 season. That season, she averaged 25.5 points per game, which ranked second in the PSAC.
After three consecutive seasons with a double-digit scoring average, Lister’s momentum was interrupted by the cancellation of the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the absence of games, Lister worked on her offensive skills with Hall, who was hired as Millersville’s coach in September 2020 after Mary Fleig retired.
“Lauren is very versatile,” Hall said. “We’ve done a lot of work on adding to her game as far as shooting the ball.”
Lister has scored 351 points this season, including six games in which she scored 20 points or more. She has recorded 16 points or more in five of her last seven games. Her scoring average is down this season as she adjusts to the new offense that Hall has implemented.
“She’s definitely added some skill to her game,” Hall said. “She knows how to put the ball in the basket, so she’s extremely important to our offense.”
Aside from her scoring success, this season means a little extra to Lister. After losing the 2020-21 season, Lister is trying to make the most of her remaining time as a collegiate student-athlete.
“It’s really special to me,” she said. “I’m just trying to come back stronger and finish the year off strong.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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