FSU Women’s Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University women’s basketball team will visit Hillsdale this Thursday (Jan. 15) for a 6 p.m. (EST) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) encounter at HC’s Jessie Philips Arena in Hillsdale, Mich. The Bulldogs will then host Wayne State Saturday (Jan. 17) in a 1 p.m. (EST) league tilt at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich.

Ticket Information: Individual game tickets to all FSU home basketball games can be obtained at the door or by calling the Bulldog Athletics Ticket Office at (231) 591-2888. Adult tickets are $7 and student tickets are $5. A family pass can be purchased for $15. Ferris State faculty/staff ticket prices are $5. FSU students are admitted free of charge by showing their student identification card.

Key Home Victory: Ferris, which is presently 9-5 overall and 4-1 in league action, recorded a 76-72 GLIAC home win over Grand Valley State last Saturday (Jan. 10). Senior guard Lucy DeMartin (Mason) tallied 15 points while senior forward/center Molly Potvin (Lansing/Catholic Central) contributed 14 points and nine rebounds for FSU. Junior forward Sarah Duesing (Sault Ste. Marie/Sault Area) and sophomore guard Erin Miller (Niles) both chipped in 13 points. The victory, which snapped a two-game Bulldog losing streak, was FSU’s fifth consecutive series’ triumph at Wink Arena. Ferris is presently second in the GLIAC’s North Division standings.

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 347-381 (.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 94-56 (.627) 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 six victories shy of notching her 100th career coaching victory.

Nice To Be Home: Saturday’s game was Ferris’ initial appearance at Wink Arena this campaign. Twelve of FSU’s first 13 games this season were away from home. The lone exception was the Bulldogs' 88-70 GLIAC loss to Lake Superior State (Dec. 11), which was played at Big Rapids (Mich.) High School due to conflicts with the school's annual graduation ceremony. Four of Ferris’ next five outings are at home.

At Wink Arena: Ferris has recorded a 33-12 (.733) overall record to date in home contests at Jim Wink Arena, including a 26-11 (.703) 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 131-97 (.575) overall since 1995-96 and sports a 78-64 (.549) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs are 42-28 (.600) overall in road games under head coach Tracey Fisk, including a 28-20 (.583) record in conference play.

FSU Picked Third: Ferris 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. GVSU was selected as the GLIAC North Division favorite while Wayne State took the South Division’s top spot.

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 (Howell), Bridget Horwitz (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) and Molly Potvin. The Bulldogs’ added five newcomers. Horwitz is redshirting this season due to 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.

Out Of The Gates: Ferris’ current 4-1 league start this campaign marks the fifth time in head coach Tracey Fisk’s six seasons at the helm the Bulldogs have won four of their initial five GLIAC outings. FSU posted a school-best 8-1 league start in 1999-00. Prior to Fisk’s arrival, the Bulldogs had won four of their first five GLIAC games only once (1990-91) in school history.

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: Six of FSU's last seven meetings versus GVSU have been decided by five points or less. The Bulldogs have claimed five of the last six series' contests to date ......... Saturday's game marked only the second time in the last three seasons the Bulldogs have been held without a made three-point field goal. FSU also failed to sink a trey last season (12/28/02) versus Southern Illinois-Edwardsville ........ Lucy DeMartin currently has 1,398 career points and needs 175 more to match Monta Ware's (1979-83) school-record output of 1,573 points. DeMartin, who presently has an active 45-game double-figure scoring streak, has 333 career made free throws to date and is 12 away from tying Jodi Raab's (1989-93) school-record total of 345. The 5-9 DeMartin currently has 162 career steals and is five shy of matching Danielle Smith (167; 1987-91) for third place on the school's career leaders list ........ Erin Miller presently has reached double-figure scoring in 12 of her 14 contests this campaign ........ Molly Potvin presently is one point away from recording her 400th career point. She needs 26 additional rebounds to garner her 300th career board ........ The Bulldogs have recorded fewer turnovers than their opponents in six of their last seven outings this campaign ...... Ferris has allowed 70.2 points per game in its nine victories this season compared to 90.8 points per game in its five losses.

Winning The Close Ones: The Bulldogs have registered seven of their nine victories this campaign by five points or less and are unbeaten (7-0) in those contests. Ferris has won 10 of its last 11 such games dating back to last season.

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.

A Look At The Opponents:

Hillsdale: Ferris holds a 29-16 series edge entering this Thursday’s 46th meeting. However, the Chargers have won four of the last seven series’ contests and posted a 73-57 win in the last meeting (1/2/03) at Big Rapids, Mich. HC, which is coached by second-year head coach Claudette Charney, is presently 6-8 overall and 3-2 in league play after last Saturday’s (Jan. 10) 81-71 league loss at Michigan Tech. The Chargers, who compiled a 23-6 overall record and a first-place 14-3 GLIAC mark in 2002-03, have dropped four of their last five games to date. Freshman guard Jenn Carlson presently ranks as Hillsdale’s leading scorer (11.7 ppg). Ferris head coach Tracey Fisk presently has a 3-4 career coaching mark versus HC, which was picked to finish fifth in the 2003-04 GLIAC South Division Preseason Coaches Poll.

Wayne State: The Bulldogs maintain a 25-24 series’ advantage entering Saturday’s 50th meeting although WSU recorded an 86-70 win in the last meeting (1/4/03) at Big Rapids, Mich. WSU is presently 4-8 overall and 1-4 in GLIAC action going into this Monday’s (Jan. 12) and Thursday’s (Jan. 15) GLIAC home games versus Findlay and Grand Valley State, respectively, as a result of recording a 63-61 conference victory last Thursday (Jan. 8) at Michigan Tech. FSU head coach Tracey Fisk presently has a 5-1 career coaching record against the Warriors, who have lost two of their last three games to date. Wayne State, which is led in scoring by senior guard Jodi Young (22.8 ppg), was 17-12 overall in 2002-03 and placed second (12-5) in the GLIAC’s South Division. The Warriors, who are coached by fourth-year head coach Gloria Bradley, were picked to finish first in the 2003-04 GLIAC South Division Preseason Coaches Poll.