FSU Women’s Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University women’s basketball team concludes its four-game homestand against Northwood this Thursday (Jan. 29) in a 6 p.m. (EST) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) contest 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.

Ferris In First: FSU is presently 13-5 overall and holds a first-place 8-1 mark in the GLIAC’s North Division. Four of Ferris’ final nine outings this campaign are at home. The Bulldogs have won their last five games to date this season. Ferris is currently ranked third in this season’s initial (Jan. 21) NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Rankings.

FSU Wins Two More: The Bulldogs defeated Gannon 87-70 last Thursday (Jan. 22) in league action at Wink Arena. FSU then beat Mercyhurst 83-47 in Saturday’s (Jan. 24) GLIAC home encounter. Senior guard Lucy DeMartin (Mason) and sophomore guard Erin Miller (Niles) both tallied 21 points versus GU. Senior forward Stephanie Benear (Howell) added 16 points and seven rebounds while senior forward/center Molly Potvin (Lansing/Catholic Central) totaled 10 points along with seven boards. Miller had 17 points, Potvin scored 13 points and DeMartin chipped in 12 points against MC. Freshman guard Kristin Reinhart (East Lansing) compiled 11 points and six assists versus Mercyhurst.

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 351-381 (.480) 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 98-56 (.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). She is two victories shy of notching her 100th career coaching victory.

At Wink Arena: Ferris has recorded a 36-12 (.750) overall record to date in home contests at Jim Wink Arena, including a 29-11 (.725) 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 135-97 (.582) overall since 1995-96 and sports a 79-64 (.552) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs are 43-28 (.606) overall in road games under head coach Tracey Fisk, including a 29-20 (.592) record in conference play.

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’ 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.

Close Calls: The Bulldogs have registered eight of their 13 victories this campaign by five points or less and are unbeaten (8-0) in those contests. Ferris has won 11 of its last 12 such games dating back to last season.

Tying The Mark: The Bulldogs tied a school mark by winning their eighth league game in nine tries last Saturday. FSU also started league play 8-1 en route to the school’s only GLIAC title in 1999-00.

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.

Up Next: Ferris will travel to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for two league games next weekend (Feb. 5 & 8). The Bulldogs will visit Michigan Tech Thursday, Feb. 5, for a 5:30 p.m. (EST) tilt in Houghton, Mich., and then battle Northern Michigan Sunday, Feb. 8, in a 1 p.m. (EST) game at Marquette, Mich.

Bulldog Bites: Lucy DeMartin currently has 1,462 career points and needs 111 more to match Monta Ware's (1979-83) school-record output of 1,573 points. DeMartin, who presently has an active 49-game double-figure scoring streak, has 344 career made free throws to date and is one away from tying Jodi Raab's (1989-93) school-record total of 345. The 5-9 DeMartin currently has 169 career steals and surpassed Danielle Smith (167; 1987-91) for third place on the school's career leaders list ........ Erin Miller presently has reached double-figure scoring in 16 of her 18 contests this campaign. She notched her 600th career point versus Mercyhurst. Miller and DeMartin have combined to score 600 of the Bulldogs’ 1,404 points (42.7%) this campaign ........ Junior guard/forward Lucie Cenkova (Prague, Czech Republic) notched a personal career-high four steals versus Mercyhurst while sophomore forward Kelly McLaughlin (Clare) matched a career-best with five boards ...... Molly Potvin garnered her 300th career board against MC. Potvin has reached double-figure scoring in 10 of her last 11 games to date ........ The Bulldogs have recorded fewer turnovers than their opponents in nine of their last 11 outings this campaign ...... Ferris has allowed 67.8 points per game in its 13 victories this season compared to 90.8 points per game in its five losses ...... Stephanie Benear’s 16 points versus Gannon matched her personal career-high set earlier this season at Saginaw Valley State (12/13/03) ........ Ferris has presently won six of the last eight series’ games against Gannon ....... FSU’s current five-game winning streak is the school’s longest since winning five consecutive outings in 2000-01 (2/3-2/17) ........ The Bulldogs sank a season-high 29-of-34 (.853) free throws versus Gannon.

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. Grand Valley State was selected as the GLIAC North Division favorite while WSU took the South Division’s top spot.

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 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.).

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 Opponent:

Northwood: The Bulldogs maintain a 33-12 advantage heading into this Thursday’s 46th series meeting. FSU has won 15 consecutive series’ games and beat NU 83-68 in the last meeting (2/8/03) at Midland, Mich. NU is presently 5-12 overall and 2-7 in the GLIAC after last Saturday’s (Jan. 24) 57-50 league home win over Hillsdale. FSU head coach Tracey Fisk presently has a 10-0 career coaching record against the Timberwolves, who have lost eight of their last nine games to date. Northwood, which is led in scoring by sophomore guard Maureen Elliott (12.6 ppg), was 9-17 overall in 2002-03 and placed sixth (5-13) in the GLIAC’s North Division. The Timberwolves, who are guided by fourth-year head coach Kelli Parker, were picked to finish sixth in the 2003-04 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll.