FSU Women’s Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University women’s basketball team opens the home portion of its 2003-04 schedule this Thursday (Dec. 11) versus Lake Superior State at Big Rapids (Mich.) High School. The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) encounter is set for a 6 p.m. (EST) start. The Bulldogs will then visit Saginaw Valley State Saturday (Dec. 13) for a 1 p.m. (EST) league tilt in SVSU’s James E. O’Neill Arena at University Center, Mich.

Ticket Information: Thursday’s game, which was moved from FSU’s Jim Wink Arena due to conflicts with the school’s annual winter graduation ceremonies, represents the Bulldogs’ only home contest until the new year. Ticket prices have been reduced for the event to $4. High school students with a valid student identification card or any Big Rapids Public Schools employee with an activities pass will be admitted free of charge. Those interested in attending may also bring a canned good for donation to Project Starburst and receive complimentary admission. Ferris students will receive free admission for any home basketball game by showing their student I.D. card. Additional information can be obtained by calling the FSU Athletics Ticket Office at (231) 591-2888.

A Look Back: FSU improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the GLIAC by winning its initial two league road contests this campaign last weekend (Dec. 4 & 6). Ferris posted a 78-76 triumph at Findlay last Thursday (Dec. 4) and then defeated Ashland 85-81 Saturday (Dec. 6). Senior guard Lucy DeMartin (Mason) tallied a team-high 22 points versus Findlay while sophomore guard Erin Miller (Niles) posted a game-high 22 points at Ashland. Miller added 17 points against the Oilers. Junior forward Sarah Duesing (Sault Ste. Marie/Sault Area) totaled a personal career-high 18 points and 13 points versus AU and UF, respectively. Ferris has won four consecutive outings to date.

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 344-377 (.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 91-52 (.636) 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).

Not A New Site: Ferris previously played its home games at Big Rapids High School during the 1998-99 campaign and posted a 5-5 (.500) mark as the new 2,400-seat Jim Wink Arena was being constructed. Ferris has recorded a 32-12 (.727) overall record to date in home contests at Jim Wink Arena, including a 25-11 (.694) mark in league play.

On The Road: Ferris State is 128-93 (.579) overall since 1995-96 and sports a 76-61 (.555) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs are 41-26 (.612) overall in road games under head coach Tracey Fisk, including a 27-20 (.574) 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.

Luncheon This Week: The final Bulldog Athletics Luncheon of the 2003-04 season will be held this Wednesday (Dec. 10) from 12-1 p.m. (EST) at FSU’s Wheeler Pavilion located at Top Taggart Field. Featured speakers include FSU men’s basketball coach Bill Sall and women’s basketball coach Tracey Fisk. For more information, please contact the FSU Alumni Office at (231) 591-2345.

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 (Lansing/Catholic Central). 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 20.2 points per game scoring average last season is the school’s all-time best.

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 five of their six victories this campaign by five points or less. Ferris has won eight of its last nine such games dating back to last season ..... Erin Miller garnered her 400th career point at Findlay. She has reached double-figure scoring in six of seven contests this season ...... Sarah Duesing’s 18 points at Ashland topped her previous career-best of 13 points set at Findlay. Duesing shot .667 (12-18) from the floor and averaged 15 points per game in the two-game stretch ........ Lucy DeMartin currently has 1,267 career points and needs 306 more to match Monta Ware's (1979-83) school-record output of 1,573 points. DeMartin, who currently has an active 38-game double-figure scoring streak, presently has 303 career made free throws and needs 42 more to tie Jodi Raab’s (1989-93) school-record total of 345 ....... Stephanie Benear is one point away from recording her 300th career point ..... Ferris has won three of its last four league-openers to date following the win at Findlay ........ Freshman guard Kristin Reinhart (East Lansing) has currently totaled 10 points or more in three of her last four games this season ......... Ferris has won 11 of its last 12 home-opening outings to date, including each of its last four. Last season (11/23/02), FSU recorded a 75-49 win over Saint Francis (Ind.) at Jim Wink Arena.

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.

Up Next: Ferris will take part in the GLIAC/Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Classic Friday and Saturday, Dec. 19-20, at Northwood’s Bennett Sports Center in Midland, Mich. FSU will square off against Indianapolis next Friday (Dec. 19) at 3 p.m. (EST) and then battle Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Saturday (Dec. 20) at 1 p.m. (EST). Both are non-league games.

A Look At The Opponents:

Lake Superior State: LSSU holds a 39-26 series’ advantage and has won the last five meetings entering this Thursday’s 66th encounter. FSU head coach Tracey Fisk currently has a 4-7 career coaching mark against Lake Superior State and dropped a 98-65 decision in the last meeting (3/1/03) between the two teams at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. LSSU, which is directed by sixth-year head coach Kris Dunbar, presently is 6-1 overall and 1-1 in the GLIAC after last Saturday’s (Dec. 6) 82-72 league win at Wayne State. The Lakers, who have split their last two games to date, compiled a 23-6 overall record in 2002-03 and placed first (15-3) in the GLIAC’s North Division. LSSU, which was picked to finish second in the 2003-04 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll, reached the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament a year ago. Senior forward Allyson Conaway presently ranks as LSSU’s leading scorer (13.7 ppg).

Saginaw Valley State: The Cardinals maintain a 38-20 advantage heading into this Saturday’s 59th series meeting. However, FSU has won nine straight series’ games and beat SVSU 81-45 in the team’s last meeting (2/15/03) held at University Center, Mich. SVSU is presently 6-1 overall and 1-1 in the GLIAC after last Saturday’s (Dec. 6) 78-75 league home loss to Hillsdale. Fisk presently has a 9-1 career coaching record against the Cardinals. Saginaw Valley State, which is led in scoring by senior guard Jennifer Brogger (20.3 ppg), was 4-22 overall in 2002-03 and placed seventh (0-18) in the GLIAC’s North Division. The Cardinals, who are guided by third-year head coach Kim Chandler, were picked to finish seventh in the 2003-04 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll. Brogger played at Ferris and scored 626 points from 1999-02 before transferring to SVSU.