FSU Women’s Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University women’s basketball team opens Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action this Thursday (Dec. 4) versus Findlay at UF’s Croy Gymnasium in Findlay, Ohio. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. (EST). The Bulldogs will then visit Ashland Saturday (Dec. 6) for a 1 p.m. (EST) league tilt in AU’s Kates Gymnasium at Ashland, Ohio.

Last Weekend: FSU, which is currently 4-1 overall this season, will make its second visit to Ashland in a week this Saturday after winning two non-league games last weekend (Nov. 29-30) in the Ashland Classic. Ferris posted a 78-73 triumph over Slippery Rock (Pa.) last Saturday (Nov. 29) and then dealt Kentucky Wesleyan an 81-44 setback in Sunday’s (Nov. 30) finale. Senior forward Molly Potvin (Lansing/Catholic Central) led the Bulldogs with 14 points and 10 rebounds versus the Rock while sophomore guard Erin Miller (Niles) registered a game-high 14 points and six assists against the Panthers. Senior guard Lucy DeMartin (Mason) totaled 13 points and 12 points versus SRU and KWC, respectively.

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 342-377 (.476) 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 89-52 (.631) 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).

On The Road: Ferris State is 126-93 (.575) overall since 1995-96 and sports a 74-61 (.548) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs are 39-26 (.600) overall in road games under head coach Tracey Fisk, including a 25-20 (.556) 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. Each of the league’s 13 head coaches ranked the teams in their respective divisions, but were not allowed to vote for their own team. The first-place team in the North Division received six points while the second-place team earned four points, etc. The first-place squad in the South Division picked up five points, the second-place team took four points, etc. Grand Valley State was selected as the GLIAC North Division favorite with three first-place votes and 33 points while Wayne State took the top spot in the South Division with 22 points and two first-place votes.

A Look At The 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.

Between The Lines: “Between The Lines”, a weekly television program profiling Ferris State University Athletics, airs across northern Michigan on WFQX-Fox 33 every Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (ET). The 30-minute program is hosted by Phill Mooney and produced in the studios of the University’s cable Channel 7. FSU women’s basketball head coach Tracey Fisk will make appearances throughout the season. The show is also aired locally on the University's cable Channel 7 every Tuesday (7 p.m.) and Wednesday (8 p.m.).

FSU 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 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 (Howell), Bridget Horwitz (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) and Molly Potvin. The Bulldogs’ also added five newcomers. Horwitz remains out indefinitely with an injured thumb.

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.

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. The two-time (2002-03) GLIAC All-Academic Team pick compiled a school-record 525 points while earning GLIAC North Division First-Team accolades last year.

Academic Honor: 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. FSU, which was among the top 25 teams for the fourth consecutive season, compiled a 3.604 grade point average in 2002-03.

Bulldog Bites: The Bulldogs have registered three of their four victories this campaign by exactly five points. Ferris has won six of its last seven games decided by five points or less dating back to last season .... Molly Potvin notched her 300th career point versus Slippery Rock while posting her first career double-double with 14 points and 10 boards .... Erin Miller garnered her 100th career assist against Kentucky Wesleyan and is currently 16 points away from recording her 400th career point ....... Lucy DeMartin currently has 1,233 career points and needs 340 more to match Monta Ware's (1979-83) school-record output of 1,573 points. DeMartin attained her 300th career board against SRU .... Sophomore forward/center Darcie Philp (Ubly) tallied her 100th career point versus KWC ..... Stephanie Benear is currently 15 points away from recording her 300th career point ..... Ferris is in the midst of a seven-game season-opening road swing. Twelve of FSU’s first 13 outings are away from home ........ Lucy DeMartin currently ranks second in free throws (295), seventh in made field goals (433), eighth in both assists (265) and three-point baskets (72) along with eighth in steals (143) among Ferris’ career leaders. She has an active 36-game double-figure scoring streak to date.

Moving Into GLIAC Play: The Bulldogs have won two of their last three league-opening games including last season’s (11/30) 72-57 home win over Findlay. However, FSU has posted only a 3-7 (.300) mark in its last 10 initial conference tilts. Ferris, which has dropped six-straight league openers away from home, currently is 4-11 (.267) in its first GLIAC contest since the 1988-89 campaign. FSU is 10-5 (.667) over the last 15 seasons in its second conference outing of the year and has won four of its last five such games.

Up Next: Ferris opens the home portion on its schedule Thursday, Dec. 11, against Lake Superior State at Big Rapids (Mich.) High School. Tipoff for the GLIAC tilt is set for 6 p.m. (EST). FSU will then visit Saginaw Valley State Saturday, Dec. 13, for a 1 p.m. (EST) league encounter in SVSU’s O’Neill Arena at University Center, Mich.

A Look At The Opponents:

Findlay: The Oilers maintain a 4-2 series edge heading into Thursday’s meeting although Ferris posted a 72-57 win in the last meeting (11/30/02) at Big Rapids, Mich. UF is presently 3-1 overall heading into this Monday’s (Dec. 1) non-conference road contest at Tiffin (Ohio) after dropping an 81-66 non-league decision last Tuesday (Nov. 25) at Northern Kentucky. FSU head coach Tracey Fisk presently has a 2-3 career coaching record versus Findlay, which was picked to finish fourth in the 2003-04 GLIAC South Division Preseason Coaches Poll. The Oilers, who are coached by third-year head coach Carolyn Mair, compiled a 10-19 overall mark in 2002-03 including a fourth-place 7-10 GLIAC South Division finish. Senior forward Tanya Ross is UF’s leading scorer (15.0 ppg) to date. Ferris has dropped all three series’ meetings at Findlay, Ohio.

Ashland: The Bulldogs hold a 6-5 series advantage and defeated Ashland 80-66 in the last meeting (1/11/03) at Ashland, Ohio. AU is presently 5-1 overall heading into this Thursday’s (Dec. 4) conference home contest versus Grand Valley State as a result of its 79-66 non-league home win over Slippery Rock (Pa.) last Sunday (Nov. 30). Fisk presently has a 4-1 career coaching record against the Eagles, who have won five consecutive games to date. Ashland, which is led in scoring by senior guard Isolina Brescia (12.3 ppg), was 11-16 overall in 2002-03 and posted a fifth-place 5-12 mark in the GLIAC’s South Division. The Eagles, who are coached by ninth-year head coach Sue Ramsey, were picked to finish third in the 2003-04 GLIAC South Division Preseason Coaches Poll. FSU is 1-2 all-time versus the Eagles at Ashland, Ohio.