FSU Women’s Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University women’s basketball team will take part in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLVC)/Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Classic this Friday and Saturday (Dec. 19-20) at Northwood University’s Bennett Sports Center in Midland, Mich. FSU will square off against Indianapolis Friday (Dec. 19) at 3 p.m. (EST) and then face Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Saturday (Dec. 20) in a 1 p.m. (EST) non-league encounter.

Last Weekend: The Bulldogs dropped an 88-70 GLIAC decision to Lake Superior State in their 2003-04 home opener last Thursday (Dec. 11) at Big Rapids (Mich.) High School. Ferris then registered a 90-88 league win Saturday (Dec. 13) at Saginaw Valley State in University Center, Mich. FSU, which had its four-game winning streak snapped by LSSU, is presently 7-2 overall and 3-1 in the GLIAC.

Leading The Way: Senior guard Lucy DeMartin (Mason) averaged 16 points, 5.5 rebounds and three assists in Ferris’ two outings last weekend. DeMartin led FSU with 18 points along with eight rebounds versus LSSU and then added 14 points at SVSU. Senior forward/center Molly Potvin (Lansing/Catholic Central) and senior forward Stephanie Benear (Howell) also registered two double-digit scoring performances. Sophomore guard Erin Miller (Niles) was the Bulldogs’ leading scorer at SVSU with 19 points.

Last Season: Ferris State concluded the 2002-03 campaign with a 15-11 overall mark, which included a fourth-place (tie) 10-8 GLIAC North Division finish. FSU reached the GLIAC Tournament for the fourth consecutive year and posted its seventh straight 10-win campaign a year ago.

The Bulldog Tradition: The Ferris State women’s basketball program, which is midst its 30th anniversary campaign, has compiled a 345-378 (.477) all-time mark. The Bulldogs won the GLIAC North Division crown, advanced to the 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 ranked among the nation’s top 25 academic teams four consecutive seasons.

Head Coach Tracey Fisk: Sixth-year FSU head coach Tracey Fisk presently ranks as Ferris’ all-time winningest coach with a current 92-53 (.634) career record at Ferris State. A 1996 graduate of Western Michigan, Fisk guided Ferris State to a 22-7 mark and the school's first NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament appearance during the 1999-00 campaign. Prior to FSU, Fisk spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Lake Michigan College (1994-97) and one season at the University of Indianapolis (1997-98). She is eight victories shy of notching her 100th career coaching victory.

Not Totally New: Ferris’ game at BRHS wasn’t an entirely new site as FSU previously played its home games there during the 1998-99 campaign and posted a 5-5 (.500) mark while the 2,400-seat Jim Wink Arena was constructed. The league outing was moved to the high school due to a conflict with the school’s annual winter graduation ceremonies. FSU’s first game at Wink Arena this season is against rival Grand Valley State on Saturday, Jan. 10, beginning at 1 p.m. (EST).

On The Road: Ferris State is 129-94 (.578) overall since 1995-96 and sports a 77-61 (.558) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs are 42-26 (.618) overall in road games under head coach Tracey Fisk, including a 28-20 (.583) record in conference play.

FSU Picked Third: Ferris State was picked to finish third in the 2003-04 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs totaled 26 points and one first-place vote in the balloting by the GLIAC’s head coaches. Grand Valley State was selected as the GLIAC North Division favorite while Wayne State took the top spot in the South Division.

Ferris Roster: Ferris’ 2003-04 roster includes four seniors, three juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen. Eleven players hail from Michigan with one each from Indiana and the Czech Republic.

FSU On The Internet: Ferris State 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 and more. The Bulldogs’ 2003-04 yearbook is also available online.

Glancing At The Bulldogs: Ferris returns eight letterwinners and five starters from last season, including senior captains Lucy DeMartin, Stephanie Benear, Bridget Horwitz (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) and Molly Potvin. The Bulldogs’ also added five newcomers. Horwitz remains out indefinitely with an injured thumb.

Preseason All-America: Ferris’ Lucy DeMartin was named to the 2003-04 Women’s Division II Bulletin Preseason Super 16 All-America Team. DeMartin, a 2002-03 Daktronics NCAA Division II All-Great Lakes Region First-Team selection, was also chosen as the publication’s preseason GLIAC Player of the Year. Her team-leading 20.2 points per game scoring average last season ranked first among the school’s all-time leaders and placed second in the GLIAC’s overall statistical rankings.

Solid League Start: Ferris’ current 3-1 league start this campaign marks the fifth time in head coach Tracey Fisk’s six seasons at the helm the Bulldogs have won three of their initial four GLIAC outings. FSU posted a school-best 4-0 league start in 2000-01. Last season (2002-03), Ferris opened league action with a 2-2 record.

Tough Road: Twelve of Ferris’ first 13 games this campaign are away from home. The Bulldogs, who played their initial seven outings this season away from home, are also slated to play their next four outings either on the road or at a neutral site. The lone home game was last Thursday’s tilt at Big Rapids High School.

GLIAC Games On The Air: Ferris’ 2003-04 league games will be carried live by local radio station WBRN-1460 AM. Selected league contests can also be accessed live via the internet by clicking on the Bulldog Athletics Webcasts icon at www.ferris.edu/sports.

Bulldog Bites: The Bulldogs have registered six of their seven victories this campaign by five points or less. Ferris has won nine of its last 10 such games dating back to last season ..... Lucy DeMartin currently has 1,299 career points and needs 274 more to match Monta Ware's (1979-83) school-record output of 1,573 points. DeMartin, who presently has an active 40-game double-figure scoring streak, has 306 career made free throws to date and needs 39 more to tie Jodi Raab's (1989-93) school-record total of 345 ......... Stephanie Benear recorded her 300th career point against Lake Superior State and set a personal career-high with 16 points at SVSU ....... Molly Potvin, who grabbed her 250th career rebound at SVSU, presently has totaled nine rebounds or more in three of her last six outings this campaign. She also notched a personal career-best six steals versus the Cardinals ....... Freshman guard Kristin Reinhart (East Lansing) has scored 10 points or more in four of her last six games to date this season ....... Erin Miller currently has reached double-figure scoring in seven of nine contests this campaign ........ FSU increased its series winning streak to 10-straight games against SVSU with Saturday's victory ........ Lucy DeMartin currently ranks sixth in made field goals (458), seventh in steals (151) along with eighth in both assists (275) and three-point baskets (77) among Ferris’ career leaders.

Academic Success: The 2002-03 Bulldog squad was honored for having the nation’s second-highest (tie) cumulative grade point average in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll list. The Bulldogs, who placed among the top 25 teams for the fourth consecutive season, compiled a 3.604 gpa.

Looking Ahead: Ferris will visit Henderson State (Ark.) Friday, Jan. 2, for a 7 p.m. (EST) non-league encounter in Arkadelphia, Ark. FSU will then face Central Arkansas Saturday, Jan. 3, in a 7 p.m. (EST) non-conference tilt in Conway, Ark.

A Look At The Opponents:

Indianapolis: The Bulldogs maintain a 2-1 series’ advantage and defeated Indianapolis 77-64 in the last meeting (12/20/98) at Hilo, Hawaii. UI, which is ranked 13th in the latest (Dec. 9) USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II Top 25 Poll, is presently 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) heading into this Tuesday's (Dec. 16) non-conference game at Findlay following last Saturday’s (Dec. 13) 81-48 non-league home win over Oakland City. FSU head coach Tracey Fisk presently has a 1-0 career coaching record against the Greyhounds. Indianapolis, which was 29-3 overall in 2002-03 and placed first (18-2) in the GLVC, is led in scoring by junior guard Erin Moran (15.9 ppg). The Greyhounds, who are guided by fourth-year head coach Teri Moren, were picked to finish third in the 2003-04 GLVC Preseason Coaches Poll after reaching the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament last season. The Bulldogs are 0-0 (home), 1-1 (road) and 1-0 (neutral) all-time versus UI to date.

SIU-Edwardsville: Ferris holds a 3-1 series advantage and defeated SIUE 76-67 in the last meeting (12/28/02) at the GLIAC/GLVC Challenge in Evansville, Ind. SIUE is currently 5-3 overall and 2-2 in the GLVC heading into this Friday’s (Dec. 19) non-league game at Northwood as a result of its 86-58 non-conference home win over Greenville (Ill.) last Thursday (Dec. 11). Fisk presently has a 2-0 career coaching record against the Cougars, who have won two consecutive games to date. Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, which is led in scoring by sophomore center Tanya Guell (15.6 ppg), was 15-13 overall in 2002-03 and posted a fifth-place 11-9 mark in the GLVC. The Cougars, who are coached by 25th-year head coach Wendy Hedberg, were picked to finish eighth in the 2003-04 GLVC Preseason Coaches Poll. FSU is 1-0 (home), 1-0 (road) and 1-1 (neutral) all-time against the Cougars to date.