The Ferris women's basketball team returns from the holiday break to take part in the SIUE Cougar Classic Dec. 29-30. Pictured are team members Teghan Thelen, Ashley Fleming and Caitlin Hutchison (left to right)

FSU Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State women’s basketball squad will break for the holidays before returning to action Friday and Saturday, Dec. 29-30, in the Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Cougar Classic at Edwardsville, Ill. FSU takes on Southern Indiana Friday (Dec. 29) at 2 p.m. (EST) before facing the host Cougars Saturday (Dec. 30) beginning at 4 p.m. (EST). Both games will be held in SIUE’s Vadalabene Center.

Media Coverage: No radio coverage will be available for either non-league contest. Live internet statistics will be available on SIUE’s Athletics Website at www.siue.edu/ATHLETIC/. Southern Indiana is tentatively slated to air a live audio webcast of Friday’s game at www.usi.edu/wswi/onair.html.

About Ferris State: Ferris State University is a NCAA Division II school located in Big Rapids, Mich., with an enrollment of 12,578. The Bulldogs are a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). Big Rapids is located in West Michigan approximately 60 miles north of Grand Rapids or 40 miles west of Mount Pleasant, Mich.

Ticket Info: Tickets for the event will be available at the door. For more information or directions, please contact the SIUE Athletics Office at (618) 650-2871.

FSU Wins At Home: Ferris State controlled play from start to finish en route to a convincing 89-57 non-league win over visiting St. Francis (Ind.) Wednesday (Dec. 20) evening inside FSU's Jim Wink Arena at Big Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs improved to 7-3 overall with the win over the fourth-ranked team nationally in NAIA Division II play. The NCAA Division II Bulldogs lead throughout the contest while snapping the Cougars' 13-game winning streak. St. Francis dropped to 15-2 overall this season with the setback. Five Bulldog players reached double-figure scoring in the balanced effort. Junior forward/center Rachel Folcik (Powers/Carney-Nadeau) led the way with a team-best 20 points, senior guard Kristin Reinhart (East Lansing) totaled 15 points, sophomore guard Teghan Thelen (Pewamo/Westphalia) netted 13 points, senior guard Erin Miller (Niles) scored 11 points and junior guard Katie Loosvelt (Trenton/Carlson) contributed 10 points.

FSU Drops Close Contest: A jumper by Mandi Johnson with only 1.7 seconds remaining lifted Lake Superior State to a thrilling 74-73 GLIAC road win over Ferris State Monday (Dec. 18) evening in FSU's Jim Wink Arena at Big Rapids, Mich. The host Bulldogs took a one-point lead with one minute left on a basket from Erin Miller, who tallied a game-high 25 points. However, the Lakers got the ball back with only 15 seconds left following a Bulldog turnover and converted on their final possession. Ferris built a five-point halftime edge and led by as many as 12 points with 16:18 to go. The Lakers, though, forced 17 Bulldog turnovers and grabbed 15 offensive boards in the victory. In addition to Miller's 25 points, Ferris also received 20 points and 13 rebounds from Rachel Folcik. Senior forward Audrey Thwing (Davison) chipped in 11 points and nine boards.

Last Season: Ferris State wrapped up its 2005-06 women's basketball season with an 18-10 overall record and made its seventh consecutive GLIAC Tournament appearance last campaign. FSU, which posted a third-place tying 12-6 mark in GLIAC North Division play a year ago, also registered its 10th consecutive season with 10 or more victories in 2005-06.

Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk: Ninth-year FSU head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk presently ranks as Ferris’ all-time winningest coach with a current 142-91 (.609) career record at Ferris State. A 1996 graduate of Western Michigan, she guided FSU to a 22-7 mark and the school's first NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tourney appearance during the 1999-00 campaign. She spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Lake Michigan College (1994-97) and one season at Indianapolis (1997-98).

The Bulldog Tradition: The Ferris State women’s basketball program, which is midst its 33rd season of varsity competition, has compiled a 395-416 (.487) all-time mark. The Bulldogs won their only GLIAC crown, advanced to their first NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament and recorded the nation’s highest grade point average in 1999-2000. FSU, which also claimed GLIAC Tournament runner-up honors in 1999-00, has posted 10 or more victories 10 consecutive seasons to date.

Looking Back At 2003-04: The Bulldogs compiled a 21-10 overall record in 2003-04 and reached the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament for only the second time in school history. FSU was second (14-4) in the GLIAC North Division and advanced to the GLIAC Tournament title game during the 2003-04 campaign. The Bulldogs also recorded the program’s second-ever 20-win campaign three seasons ago.

The Bulldog Roster: Ferris’ 2006-07 roster includes three seniors, three juniors, five sophomores and two freshmen. Six of the 13 players are guards while the remaining seven are frontcourt players. All 12 players on the roster hail from Michigan.

Jim Wink Arena: Ferris has recorded a 57-23 (.713) overall record to date in games at Jim Wink Arena, including a 44-20 (.688) mark in league play. The 2,400-seat facility replaced the Old Jim Wink Arena, which was converted into the current Student Recreation Center after the 1997-98 campaign. FSU won its first 14 games in the facility.

On The Road: Ferris State is 179-131 (.577) overall since 1995-96 and sports a 102-88 (.537) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs are 60-48 (.556) overall in road games under head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk, including a 43-31 (.581) record in GLIAC play.

The Team Captains: FSU seniors Erin Miller and Kristin Reinhart along with Rachel Folcik are serving as the Bulldogs’ team captains for the 2006-07 campaign. Miller picked up first team All-GLIAC and Daktronics All-Great Lakes Region Second Team accolades last campaign. Reinhart was named to the All-GLIAC North Division Second Team for the second consecutive season. Folcik started 26 contests.

Live Internet Stats: “Live Stats” of all 2006-07 Ferris State home games will be provided in progress via the internet. Visit the site at www.ferris.edu/sports and click the “Live Stats” icon to access.

B2 Broadband Webcasts: A live broadband video and audio webcast will be available via B2 Networks for FSU’s remaining home games this season. The cost is $6 per game and includes live video along with a radio audio feed. To access the service or obtain more info, please visit the FSU Athletics Website at www.ferris.edu/sports.

Listen To The Bulldogs: FSU women’s basketball (GLIAC games only) will be carried live this season through a partnership with Bulldog Radio, a registered student organization on the Ferris campus. The station can be heard locally on television Channel 21 both via on-campus cable and Charter Communications in Mecosta County. A live 24-hour webcast of the signal is also available at www.bulldogradio.org. Fans wishing to access the live internet broadcast of the GLIAC contests will also be able to visit the Bulldog Athletics Webcast icon at www.ferris.edu/sports.

On The Internet: Ferris State University Athletics’ official web site can be found at www.ferris.edu/sports. The site features information on all of FSU’s varsity athletics programs including rosters, statistics, yearbooks and more.

GLIAC Preseason Poll: Ferris State was picked to finish second in the 2006-07 GLIAC Women's Basketball Coaches Preseason North Division Poll released by the league office (Nov. 8). The Bulldogs totaled 29 points in the balloting, which was conducted by the conference's head coaches. A year ago, Ferris State took fourth place in the conference's preseason coaches poll with 23 points. Defending NCAA Division II National Champion Grand Valley State was selected as the North Division favorite as the Lakers recorded 36 points along with six first-place votes. Ashland claimed the top spot in the South Division with 24 points and four first-place votes. The league's 13 head coaches voted for the division in which they play.

Academic Success: The Bulldogs have ranked among the nation’s top academic programs seven consecutive seasons, according to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll list. Ferris compiled a 3.350 grade point average in 2005-06 to place 20th overall in Division II. FSU had the nation’s highest gpa in 1999-00 and placed second in 2002-03.

GLIAC Recognition: Erin Miller was awarded the GLIAC North Division Women's Basketball Player of the Week honor on Nov. 27. Her selection marked the second consecutive week a Ferris player had earned the distinction as Kristin Reinhart was chosen as this season's first recipient the week prior (Nov. 20). It also represented the fourth time in her career Miller has received the honor. FSU has had a player honored as the league's player of the week 15 times in the last five seasons, including the current year, to date.

New Club Member: FSU’s Kristin Reinhart became only the 13th player in school history to notch her 1,000th career point earlier this season. She accomplished the feat in FSU’s league opener at Northwood (Nov. 30) and presently has 1,057 career points at Ferris State.

Top Of The List: Ferris head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk became the school’s all-time victory leader with two wins in the Aquinas College Classic (Nov. 18-19) to open the 2005-06 season in Grand Rapids, Mich. Bloodworth-Fisk, who also ranks as FSU’s all-time winningest coach, surpassed Pat Dolan’s (1977-89) previous school-record total of 118 wins at FSU. Both of FSU’s two all-time NCAA Division II National Tournament appearances have came under Bloodworth-Fisk. She was honored as the GLIAC’s 2003-04 Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year after guiding the Bulldogs to the program’s second-ever 20-win campaign.

Bulldog Bites: FSU needs only five wins to record the program’s 400th all-time victory ...... Ferris head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk needs eight more wins to notch her 150th all-time career coaching victory ...... The Bulldogs have outrebounded their opponents in seven of 10 games this season ....... Both Teghan Thelen and sophomore forward Ashley Fleming (Posen/Rogers City) netted personal career-highs with 13 and eight points, respectively, against St. Francis. Katie Loosvelt matched a personal-best with 10 points ...... Audrey Thwing is 27 points away from posting her 500th career point at FSU ...... FSU will play six of its next seven contests away from home this year.

Notes From LSSU Game: LSSU defeated Ferris for the 12th time in the last 13 series’ matchups Monday (Dec. 18) evening ....... Ferris’ last three meetings with Lake Superior State have all been decided in the final 10 seconds following LSSU’s triumph on a short jumper by Mandi Johnson with only 1.7 seconds left to play ........ Erin Miller moved into fourth-place on FSU’s career scoring chart versus Lake Superior State. The 5-7 Miller currently has scored 1,452 points in 97 career games (15.0 ppg) ....... Rachel Folcik notched her 700th career point against Lake Superior State.

Back At Home: Following the SIUE Cougar Classic, Ferris State returns home to host Hillsdale in GLIAC action Saturday, Jan. 6, beginning at 1 p.m. (EST) inside Jim Wink Arena. FSU will then hit the road for a four-game conference road swing, which includes two games in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula at Northern Michigan (Jan. 11) and Michigan Tech (Jan. 13) along with a trip to Erie, Pa., to face both Mercyhurst (Jan. 18) and Gannon (Jan. 20).

FSU's Cougar Classic Notebook:

Scouting The Screaming Eagles: The Bulldogs trail Southern Indiana in the all-time series 5-1 and suffered an 82-81 setback in the most recent game (12/31/04) in the GLIAC/GLVC Classic at Midland, Mich. The Screaming Eagles, who won the initial four series’ matchups, are presently 8-1 overall and 3-0 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play this season following a 72-69 non-league win at Wayne State Tuesday (Dec. 19). USI is guided by eighth-year head coach Rick Stein. The Screaming Eagles were picked to finish fifth in the GLVC West Division this campaign after posting a 15-15 overall record and 7-12 GLVC slate in 2005-06. Junior forward Jasmine Baines (6-0) leads three USI players in double-figure scoring to date with 14.1 points per game. USI’s only loss this season was a 58-47 setback in the season opener (Nov. 15) at Central Missouri State. FSU head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk is presently 1-3 all-time versus Southern Indiana.

Scouting The Cougars: Ferris holds a 5-1 all-time mark against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and won the most recent meeting (12/20/05) by a 64-57 score at the FSU Holiday Classic in Big Rapids, Mich. The Cougars, who are presently 7-2 overall and 3-1 in the GLVC this season, have lost two of their last three games to date this campaign after winning their initial six outings. Junior guard/forward Amber Shelton (5-10) is the squad’s leading scorer (18.3 ppg) to date this season. SIUE compiled a 13-14 overall record in 2005-06, including a fifth-place tying 7-12 GLVC West Division mark. SIU-Edwardsville was picked to finish third in the 2006-07 GLVC Preseason West Division Coaches Poll under 28th-year head coach Wendy Hedberg. The Cougars dropped a 94-61 non-league decision to Southwest Baptist (Mo.) in their most recent outing (Dec. 18) at Miami Shores, Fla. SIUE hosts Wayne State in Friday’s (Dec. 29) first day of action at the Cougar Classic before facing the Bulldogs. FSU’s Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk is currently 4-0 versus SIUE.