FSU At A Glance: The Ferris State University women’s basketball team will host Michigan Tech Thursday, Feb. 3, in a 6 p.m. (EST) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) contest at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. The game opens a six-game homestand for the Bulldogs. FSU will then battle Northern Michigan Saturday, Feb. 5, in a 12 p.m. (EST) GLIAC home encounter.

FSU Fourth In Division: FSU is currently 9-10 overall and 7-3 in league action, which ranks fourth in the GLIAC North Division standings to date. Lake Superior State (11-0) presently leads the division with Michigan Tech (10-1) second and Grand Valley State (9-1) listed third. Ferris has won six of its last eight outings to date this season, including a current five-game winning streak.

Media Coverage: FSU’s 2004-05 league games will be carried live by local radio station WBRN-1460 AM. Selected contests can also be accessed live via the internet by clicking on the Bulldog Athletics Webcasts icon at www.ferris.edu/sports. Live internet statistics will also be available for all remaining FSU home games.

Ticket Information: Individual game tickets to FSU regular-season 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 Erupts At Northwood: Ferris State used a 31-point second half run to sprint past Northwood 89-64 in league action last Wednesday (Jan. 26) in NU's Bennett Sports Center at Midland, Mich. FSU trailed 50-40 with just over 14 minutes to play in the contest before scoring 31 consecutive points to take a 71-50 lead with five and a half minutes remaining. Northwood registered only 10 field goals in the final half. Sophomore guard Kristin Reinhart (East Lansing) paced FSU with a personal career-high 34 points on a 13-of-17 performance from the floor. Senior forward/center Bridget Horwitz (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) chipped in 12 points as all nine Bulldog players who saw action scored in the contest.

A Look At The Bulldogs: FSU returns three starters and eight letterwinners from last season. The Bulldogs compiled a 21-10 overall record in 2003-04 and reached the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament for only the second time in school history. FSU placed second (14-4) in the GLIAC North Division and advanced to the GLIAC Tournament Championship game during the 2003-04 campaign. The Bulldogs also made their fifth consecutive conference tournament berth and recorded the program’s second-ever 20-win campaign last season. Ferris has posted seven-straight winning seasons to date.

Head Coach Tracey Fisk: Seventh-year FSU head coach Tracey Fisk presently ranks as Ferris’ all-time winningest coach with a current 115-71 (.618) career record at Ferris State. A 1996 graduate of Western Michigan, Fisk guided FSU to a 22-7 mark and the school's first NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament appearance during the 1999-00 campaign. Prior to Ferris, 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 needs three victories to match Pat Dolan’s (1977-89) school-record total of 118 wins at Ferris State.

The Bulldog Tradition: The Ferris State women’s basketball program, which is midst its 31st season of varsity competition, has compiled a 368-396 (.482) all-time mark. The Bulldogs won their only GLIAC crown, advanced to their first 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 posted 10 or more victories eight consecutive seasons to date.

Jim Wink Arena: Ferris has recorded a 42-15 (.737) overall record to date in games at Jim Wink Arena, including a 34-13 (.723) 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 152-111 (.578) overall since 1995-96 and sports a 90-76 (.542) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs are 51-38 (.573) overall in road games under head coach Tracey Fisk, including a 37-24 (.607) record in GLIAC play.

The Bulldog Roster: Ferris’ 2004-05 roster includes three seniors, three juniors, two sophomores and five freshmen. Five of the 13 players are guards while the remaining eight are frontcourt players. Eleven players hail from Michigan with one each from Indiana and the Czech Republic.

FSU Picked Second: Ferris was picked to finish second in the 2004-05 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs totaled 32 points along with three first-place votes in the balloting conducted by the conference's head coaches. Lake Superior State was selected as the North Division favorite as the Lakers recorded 33 points and four first-place votes. Ashland took the top spot in the South Division with 24 points. 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.

Academic Success: The 2003-04 Bulldog squad was honored for having the nation’s 17th-highest 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 fifth consecutive season, compiled a 3.384 grade point average in 2003-04. FSU, which previously compiled the nation’s highest gpa (3.534) in 1999-00, also finished 21st (3.313) in 2001-02 and was 20th (3.388) for the 2000-01 academic year. Ferris’ 3.604 gpa in 2002-03 placed tied for second.

Between The Lines: FSU head coach Tracey Fisk will make periodic appearances throughout the season on “Between The Lines,” a weekly half-hour television show devoted to Ferris State Athletics. The program, which is hosted by Shannon Vesper and produced by FSU’s media productions department, airs each Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 p.m. (ET) and 8 p.m. (ET), respectively, on FSU’s Cable Channel 7.

Live Statistics: “Live Stats” of all remaining 2004-05 FSU men’s and women’s basketball home contests will be provided in progress via the internet. Visit www.ferris.edu/sports and click on the “Live Stats” icon for more information regarding the feature.

Starting Well: FSU’s current 7-3 league mark represents the fifth time the Bulldogs have won at least seven of their initial 10 GLIAC outings in head coach Tracey Fisk’s seven seasons at the helm. Last season (2003-04), Ferris emerged victorious in nine of its first 10 league encounters.

Bulldog Bites: Kristin Reinhart’s 34 points at Northwood are the most scored by a GLIAC women's basketball player this season and surpassed her previous career-high of 25 points at Lake Superior State earlier this campaign (12/9/04) ....... Senior forward Sarah Duesing (Sault Ste. Marie/Sault Area) needs one point to notch her 500th career point. Her current .935 (29-31) free throw percentage in league games ranks as the GLIAC’s best performance to date ......... Freshman guard Katie Loosvelt (Trenton/Carlson) tallied a career-best eight assists at Northwood ....... Ferris head coach Tracey Fisk played her final season of collegiate basketball at Northern Michigan under current NMU head coach Mike Geary during the 1993-94 campaign. She led the Wildcats in both three-point field goals (54) and assists (131) following three seasons at NCAA Division I Illinois State.

FSU Team Notes: Ferris State has currently won 18 consecutive series' meetings versus Northwood. NU's last victory against FSU came on Feb. 25, 1995, by a score of 78-74 in Midland. FSU head coach Tracey Fisk currently holds a 13-0 career coaching record versus the Timberwolves ......... Fourteen of FSU's 19 games this season have been decided by 10 points or more ....... Ferris has recorded 10 or more steals eight times in its last 10 outings this season after having done so only once in its initial nine games this campaign ........ Ferris has presently emerged victorious in four-straight league road contests this year ....... Ferris has allowed 63.1 points per game in its nine victories this season compared to 84.4 points per game in its 10 losses ........... The Bulldogs have averaged 79.0 points per contest in their nine wins this campaign, but only 63.0 points an outing in 10 defeats ........ Ferris State ranks first among the GLIAC’s conference-only statistical leaders in rebounding offense (41.1 rpg).

FSU On The Web: Ferris State University Athletics’ official web site can be found at www.ferris.edu/sports. The Bulldogs’ 2004-05 yearbook is also available online.

Home Stretch: FSU will play six consecutive games at home to begin the month of February. Six of the Bulldogs’ remaining eight outings this season are in Big Rapids. The Bulldogs have played 14 of their last 15 contests away from home to date this campaign.

Looking Ahead: Ferris State will square off against rival Grand Valley State Monday, Feb. 7, in a 6 p.m. (EST) league home contest. The Bulldogs will then host Lake Superior State Thursday, Feb. 10, for a 6 p.m. (EST) conference game before taking on Saginaw Valley State Saturday, Feb. 12, in a 1 p.m. (EST) GLIAC home outing.

A Look At The Opponents:

Michigan Tech: The Huskies maintain a 30-19 lead and have won six of the last nine series’ encounters entering this Thursday’s 50th meeting. FSU won two of three meetings last campaign, including a 72-70 triumph in the most recent contest during the GLIAC Tournament quarterfinals (3/2/04) at Wink Arena. MTU is presently 16-4 overall and 10-1 in the GLIAC following last Saturday’s (Jan. 29) 71-63 league home loss to nationally-ranked Lake Superior State. FSU head coach Tracey Fisk presently has a 4-9 career coaching record against the Huskies, who had won 15 consecutive games to date this season prior to last Saturday’s loss. Michigan Tech, which is led in scoring by both freshman guard Sarah Stream (11.8 ppg) and junior center Amanda Sieja (11.8 ppg), was chosen third in the 2004-05 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll. The Huskies, who are guided by second-year head coach John Barnes, were 16-11 overall during the 2003-04 campaign and compiled a third-place tying 11-7 GLIAC North Division record.

Northern Michigan: NMU holds a 36-14 series advantage and has won five of the last seven meetings heading into this Saturday’s 51st encounter. Fisk currently has a 4-9 career coaching mark against Northern Michigan and posted an 85-78 win in the last meeting (2/26/04) between the two teams at Big Rapids, Mich. NMU, which is directed by 16th-year head coach Mike Geary, presently is 10-8 overall and 3-7 in the GLIAC heading into Thursday’s (Feb. 3) league road game at Grand Valley State after last Thursday’s (Jan. 27) 68-59 conference home loss to Lake Superior State. The Wildcats, who have lost three consecutive outings to date, compiled a 19-8 overall record in 2003-04 and placed tied for third (11-7) in the GLIAC’s North Division. NMU, which was picked to finish tied for fourth place in the 2004-05 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll, is led in scoring by senior guard Tiffany Grubaugh (15.2 ppg).