FSU Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State women’s basketball team hits the road for five of its next six outings beginning with a pair of games in Ohio this weekend (Jan. 26 & 28). The trip opens Thursday, Jan. 26, as the Bulldogs visit Ashland for a 5:30 p.m. (EST) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) encounter in Ashland, Ohio. FSU will then square off against Findlay Saturday, Jan. 28, in a 1 p.m. (EST) league tilt at Findlay, Ohio.

Media Coverage: Both Thursday’s and Saturday’s outings will be carried live locally by News Talk 1460 AM (WBRN). Rob Bentley will handle the play-by-play duties for both contests. The games are also tentatively slated to be webcast at www.ferris.edu/sports.

Ticket Info: Ticket information for this week’s games can be obtained by directly contacting the Ashland and Findlay Athletics Departments, respectively. Ashland’s main office number is (419) 289-5441 while Findlay can be reached by dialing (419) 434-4663.

FSU Handles Mercyhurst: Ferris State had three players in double-figure scoring as the Bulldogs posted a convincing 72-47 decision over Mercyhurst last Thursday (Jan. 19) evening in league play at FSU's Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. Junior guard Erin Miller's (Niles) 13 points paced Ferris offensively while freshman forward Aubrey Freshour (Clinton Township/L’Anse Creuse) and sophomore guard/forward Sam Johns (Allendale) came off the bench to score 11 and 10 points, respectively. The host Bulldogs claimed a 33-21 lead at the half and then proceeded to outscore the Lakers 39-26 in the game's final 20 minutes.

Bulldogs Beat Gannon: A strong second-half offensive showing, in which the Bulldogs netted 46 points, enabled Ferris State to surge past visiting Gannon 80-68 in GLIAC action last Saturday (Jan. 21) afternoon at Wink Arena. The Bulldogs took a 34-30 halftime edge and then outscored the Knights by eight points in the final frame to notch the victory. Junior guard Kristin Reinhart (East Lansing) led the Bulldogs with a game-high 27 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in a solid all-around performance. Erin Miller added 15 points and sophomore forward/center Rachel Folcik (Powers/Carney-Nadeau) compiled 14 points along with 10 rebounds in a double-double effort.

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 129-84 (.606) 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 382-409 (.483) 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 50-22 (.694) overall record to date in games at Jim Wink Arena, including a 40-19 (.678) 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 166-124 (.572) 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.

GLIAC Honoree: A Ferris State player has received the GLIAC North Division Player of the Week Award for the second consecutive week and third time overall this campaign as Kristin Reinhart was honored as this week’s (Jan. 23) selection. Reinhart joins Erin Miller, who previously was honored Dec. 5, along with last week's (Jan. 16) recipient in junior forward Audrey Thwing (Davison) as Bulldog players to claim the honor this year. The selection represents the second time Reinhart has picked up the honor in her career as she was also chosen once (12/6/04) last campaign.

Regional Rankings: FSU is listed 10th in the initial NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Rankings, which came out last week (Jan. 18). The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) held two of the top three positions in the poll with Lake Superior State the highest ranked GLIAC school at number two. Grand Valley State is fourth, Michigan Tech seventh and Ashland eighth among the five league schools featured in the rankings. Drury (Mo.) heads the regional poll, which will be used to help determine the eight-team field for the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Championships (March 10-13) at the end of the campaign.

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.

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. 23) NCAA-II National Statistical leaders. Miller ranks 35th in three-point field goal percentage (.402) while Reinhart is 25th overall in assists (5.3 apg). As a team, Ferris ranks 21st in scoring offense (76.5 ppg), 22nd in field goal percentage (.450), 25th in free throw percentage (.745) and 33rd in three-point percentage (.362).

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: The Bulldogs have won nine of their last 11 games overall this campaign, including seven of their last eight ...... FSU has presently won 10 or more outings the last 10 years to date ....... Ferris improved to 10-2 all-time versus Mercyhurst with Thursday’s victory at home. FSU head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk holds a 7-1 career coaching mark to date against the Lakers following the triumph ...... Aubrey Freshour notched a personal career-high 11 points in FSU’s win over Mercyhurst. Freshman guard Teghan Thelen (Pewamo/Westphalia) added a career-best eight rebounds in the victory ...... Audrey Thwing has posted a double-double (points & rebounds) in five of her last nine outings to date this campaign ............. Erin Miller has reached double-figure scoring in 15 of her last 17 outings this campaign, including four-straight ......... Rachel Folcik has scored 10 points or more in each of the last 10 outings she’s played this campaign.

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: The Bulldogs return home to host Saginaw Valley State Thursday, Feb. 2, for a 6 p.m. (EST) league game in Wink Arena. FSU then will visit Northwood Saturday, Feb. 4, with league tipoff set for 1 p.m. (EST) inside NU’s Bennett Sports Center in Midland, Mich.

A Look At The Ashland Matchup:

Ashland: The all-time series’ between the two teams is tied at eight wins apiece heading into Thursday’s encounter. The Eagles claimed a 71-70 triumph over FSU in last season’s GLIAC Tournament Quarterfinals at Ashland, Ohio. Ashland also defeated Ferris 76-64 in last season’s only regular-season meeting (12/4/04) at Big Rapids, Mich. FSU head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk presently has a 6-4 career coaching record against the Eagles. The Bulldogs are 4-2 all-time versus the Eagles at Kates Gymnasium. AU compiled a 20-9 overall record in 2004-05 after finishing first in the league’s South Division with a 11-6 mark. Ashland is currently 12-7 overall this campaign and 7-2 in the GLIAC after last Saturday’s (Jan. 21) 71-68 league road win at Saginaw Valley State. AU which is led in scoring by junior guard Amber Rall (17.5 ppg), was picked third in the 2005-06 GLIAC South Division Preseason Coaches Poll under 11th-year head coach Sue Ramsey. Ashland has won its last six outings overall to date this campaign.

A Look At The Findlay Matchup:

Findlay: The all-time series’ is tied 4-4 heading into Saturday’s meeting. Ferris has won the last three matchups to date including a 74-61 win in the last meeting (12/2/04) at Big Rapids, Mich. UF is presently 9-10 overall and 3-7 in league play this campaign heading into Saturday’s matchup after posting a 81-69 league road win at Northwood last Saturday (Jan. 21). FSU head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk presently has a 4-3 career coaching record versus Findlay, which was picked to finish fourth in the 2005-06 GLIAC South Division Preseason Coaches Poll. The Oilers, who are coached by fifth-year head coach Carolyn Mair, compiled a 11-16 overall mark in 2004-05 and a fourth-place 5-12 GLIAC South Division finish. Senior forward Michelle Vorst is UF’s leading scorer (14.9 ppg) to date. The Oilers have lost five of their last six outings to date this campaign.