FSU Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University women’s basketball team will host nationally-ranked Lake Superior State Saturday, Jan. 14, in a 1 p.m. (EST) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) encounter at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. The contest will be the first game of a women’s and men’s league doubleheader. The men’s game starts at approximately 3 p.m. (EST).

Media Coverage: Saturday’s game will be carried live locally by News Talk 1460 AM (WBRN). Jason DaDay will handle the play-by-play duties for Saturday’s coverage. The game is also slated to be webcast at www.ferris.edu/sports.

Ticket Info: 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 general admission tickets are $7. Student tickets are $5. A family pass with two adult and two youth tickets can be purchased for $15. Ferris faculty/staff ticket prices are also $5. FSU students are admitted free of charge by showing their student ID card.

Ferris Beats Hillsdale: Junior guard Erin Miller (Niles) connected on a game-winning jumper at the buzzer to lift Ferris State to a 79-78 league victory over Hillsdale last Saturday (Jan. 7) in HC's Jesse Philips Arena at Hillsdale, Mich. The Bulldogs took a 39-35 halftime lead, but Hillsdale came back and went in front with seven seconds to play on a three-point shot by Jodie Haines. However, sophomore forward/center Rachel Folcik (Powers/Carney-Nadeau) dumped the inbounds pass in the frontcourt off to Miller on the right-side of the floor to set up the last second heroics. Junior forward Audrey Thwing (Davison) and Folcik both paced Ferris with 18 points apiece. Miller had 17 points in the win for FSU and sophomore guard/forward Sam Johns (Allendale) tallied 11 points.

FSU Tops Marygrove: Ferris State opened up a five-game homestand by posting a 82-56 non-conference win over Marygrove Monday (Jan. 9) in Wink Arena. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 41-33 halftime lead on the visitors from Detroit and then outscored the Mustangs 41-23 in the final half to win their fourth consecutive contest this campaign. Senior forward Kelly McLaughlin (Clare) notched a personal career-high 14 points and junior guard Kristin Reinhart (East Lansing) also totaled 14 points to lead the Bulldogs. Sam Johns netted 12 points and freshman forward/center Jenna Guay (Escanaba) had 10 points as four Bulldog players reached double-figure scoring. All 10 Bulldog players who saw action scored and played at least 14 minutes apiece.

Bulldogs Defeat NMU: Ferris State claimed its fifth-straight victory Thursday (Jan. 12) evening as the Bulldogs recorded a 66-53 league triumph over visiting Northern Michigan in Wink Arena. The Bulldogs, who have presently won seven of their last eight outings to date, jumped out to a 34-23 halftime advantage and outscored NMU 32-30 in the final half to account for the 13-point margin. FSU posted a commanding 38-10 edge in points scored in the paint as Audrey Thwing led the way with a personal career-high 23 points and 12 rebounds. Rachel Folcik added 16 points along with nine rebounds.

Last Season: Ferris State finished the 2004-05 season with an 11-17 overall record. FSU placed fourth in the GLIAC North Division with a 9-9 conference ledger and advanced to the league's postseason tournament for the sixth consecutive year. The Bulldogs also recorded their ninth-straight season with 10 or more victories.

Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk: Eighth-year FSU head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk presently ranks as Ferris’ all-time winningest coach with a current 127-83 (.605) 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 Tourney appearance during the 1999-00 campaign. She spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Lake Michigan College (1994-97) and one season at Indianapolis (1997-98).

The Bulldog Tradition: The Ferris State women’s basketball program, which is midst its 32nd season of varsity competition, has compiled a 380-408 (.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 nine consecutive seasons to date.

Looking Back At 2003-04: 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 league tournament berth and recorded the program’s second-ever 20-win campaign two seasons ago.

The Bulldog Roster: Ferris’ 2005-06 roster includes one senior, three juniors, four sophomores and six freshmen. Five of the 14 players are guards while the remaining nine are frontcourt players. All 12 players on the roster hail from Michigan. Forward Kelly McLaughlin is the only senior on the roster.

The Team Captains: FSU’s Kelly McLaughlin, Erin Miller and Kristin Reinhart have been named the Bulldogs’ team captains for the 2005-06 campaign.

Jim Wink Arena: Ferris has recorded a 48-21 (.696) overall record to date in games at Jim Wink Arena, including a 38-18 (.679) 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 164-123 (.571) overall since 1995-96 and sports a 96-82 (.539) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs are 55-42 (.567) overall in road games under head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk, including a 39-27 (.591) record in GLIAC play.

Ferris School Records: Ferris’ made 17 three-pointers and 39 attempts beyond the arc versus Lewis (Ill.) in the FSU Holiday Classic (Dec. 21) both surpassed previous school records ......... The Bulldogs also set a new school record with 31 assists at home against Northwood (Dec. 1).

GLIAC Games On The Air: FSU’s 2005-06 league games will be carried live by local radio station WBRN (News Talk 1460 AM). Selected contests can also be accessed via the internet by clicking on the Bulldog Athletics Webcasts icon at www.ferris.edu/sports. Jason DaDay will handle play-by-play duties for the GLIAC home games while Ferris State Assistant Athletics Communications Director Rob Bentley will be in front of the microphone for all league road contests.

Live Stats: “Live Stats” of all 2005-06 Ferris State home basketball games will be provided in progress via the internet. Visit www.ferris.edu/sports and click on the “Live Stats” icon to access the “Live Stats” feature.

National Stats: FSU’s Erin Miller and Kristin Reinhart are both found in the latest (Jan. 9) NCAA-II National Statistical leaders. Miller ranks 24th in three-point field goal percentage (.434), 37th in made three-pointers (2.5 pg) along with 41st in scoring (18.0 ppg). Reinhart is 41st overall in assists (5.2 apg). As a team, Ferris ranks 22nd in scoring offense (76.7 ppg).

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, yearbooks and more.

At The Top: Ferris head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk became the school’s all-time victory leader with two wins in the Aquinas College Classic (Nov. 18-19). Bloodworth-Fisk, who also ranks as FSU’s all-time winningest coach, surpassed Pat Dolan’s (1977-89) previous school-record total of 118 wins at FSU. Both of FSU’s two all-time NCAA Division II National Tournament appearances have came under Bloodworth-Fisk. She was honored as the GLIAC’s 2003-04 Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year after guiding the Bulldogs to the program’s second-ever 20-win campaign.

GLIAC Preseason Poll: Ferris State was picked to finish fourth in the 2005-06 GLIAC Women's Basketball Coaches Preseason North Division Poll released by the league office. The Bulldogs totaled 23 points in the balloting, which was conducted by the conference's head coaches. A year ago, Ferris State took second place in the conference's preseason coaches poll with 32 points and three first-place votes. Grand Valley State was selected as the North Division favorite as the Lakers recorded 36 points along with six first-place votes. Gannon and Hillsdale tied for the top spot in the South Division with 21 points and three first-place votes apiece. The league's 13 head coaches voted for the division in which they play, but were not allowed to vote for their own team.

Players To Watch: FSU’s Kristin Reinhart and Erin Miller were chosen among the top 10 West Michigan collegiate players to watch this year by the Grand Rapids Press in the Nov. 15 edition. The women’s rankings honored Reinhart as the second overall selection while Miller came in seventh. Grand Valley State tallied four of the top 10 picks, including the number one honoree in 2004-05 GLIAC Player of the Year Niki Reams. Ferris placed second with two nominations followed by Calvin, Aquinas, Hope and Davenport with one apiece.

Academic Success: The Bulldogs have ranked among the nation’s top academic programs six consecutive seasons, according to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll list. FSU placed 14th overall in 2004-05 with a 3.432 grade point average. Ferris had the nation’s highest gpa in 1999-00 and placed second in 2002-03.

Bulldog Bites: Monday’s game against Marygrove was Ferris’ final non-conference outing this season ........ FSU has presently won seven of its last eight outings overall this campaign, including five-straight ...... Audrey Thwing netted a career-high 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a double-double effort versus NMU. The 5-11 Thwing has posted a double-double (points & rebounds) in four of her last six outings to date this campaign ........ Kristin Reinhart notched her 750th career point against Hillsdale in last Saturday’s victory ........ FSU improved to 32-16 all-time versus Hillsdale with last Saturday’s win in the 48th series’ encounter. Ferris has currently won six of the last 10 series’ matchups overall following the triumph .......... Erin Miller has reached double-figure scoring in 12 of her last 14 outings this campaign ......... Rachel Folcik, who didn’t play against Marygrove, has recorded eight consecutive double-digit scoring performances to date this season ...... Jenna Guay matched a personal career-high with 10 points against Marygrove. She also had 10 points at Lake Superior State (12/16) earlier this season ........ Six of Ferris State’s remaining 12 regular-season games are at home this campaign.

GLIAC Honoree: FSU’s Erin Miller was selected as the GLIAC North Division Player of the Week on Dec. 5th for her performance in Ferris’ two outings against Northwood and SVSU (Dec. 1 & 3). She is the only FSU women's player to attain league weekly award accolades this season.

Fall Recruits: Ferris head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk recently announced the addition of prep guard Stephanie DeNoyelles (Mt. Pleasant/Sacred Heart) and prep forward/center Andrea Clancy (Port Austin/North Huron), who both plan to attend and compete in women's basketball at FSU beginning with the 2006-07 academic year. They inked national letters-of-intent with the Bulldogs during the fall signing period. The 5-7 DeNoyelles attained both first-team Detroit Free Press and honorable mention Detroit News Class D All-State kudos this campaign while Clancy was chosen to the Associated Press Class D All-State Girls Basketball Team.

Upcoming Slate: Ferris continues its four-game homestand by hosting Mercyhurst Thursday, Jan. 19, for a 6 p.m. (EST) league tilt in Wink Arena. The Bulldogs will then conclude the homestand by squaring off against Gannon Saturday, Jan. 21, in a 1 p.m. (EST) conference home encounter before playing five of their next six outings on the road.

A Look At The Opponent:

Lake Superior State: LSSU holds a 44-27 series’ advantage and has won 10 of the last 11 meetings entering this Saturday’s 72nd encounter. FSU head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk currently has a 5-12 career coaching mark against Lake Superior State and led the Bulldogs to a 86-85 overtime win in the most recent meeting (12/16/05) at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. LSSU, which is directed by eighth-year head coach Kris Dunbar, presently is 11-3 overall and 4-3 in the GLIAC after Thursday’s (Jan. 12) 63-47 league road loss at Grand Valley State. The Lakers compiled a 22-7 overall record in 2004-05 and placed tied for first (16-2) in the GLIAC’s North Division. LSSU, which was picked to finish third in the 2005-06 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll, reached the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tourney last year. Senior center Becky Marquardt-King presently ranks as the leading scorer (17.8 ppg) for LSSU, which was ranked 14th in this week’s (Jan. 10) USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II Top 25 Poll.