FSU Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State women’s basketball team travels to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for two games this weekend (Feb. 9 & 11). The trip opens Thursday, Feb. 9, as the Bulldogs visit Michigan Tech for a 5:30 p.m. (EST) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) encounter in Houghton, Mich. FSU will then square off against Northern Michigan Saturday, Feb. 11, in an 11 a.m. (EST) league tilt at Marquette, Mich.

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 MTU and NMU Athletics Departments, respectively. Michigan Tech’s main office number is (906) 487-3070 while NMU can be reached by dialing (906) 227-2105.

Weekend Notes: Thursday’s games at Michigan Tech are part of the school’s annual Winter Carnival Celebration, which runs Wednesday to Sunday (Feb. 8-12). The event includes a variety of activities, including the world-famous snow statues built each year ......... Saturday’s women’s and men’s games at NMU will start two hours earlier than normal due to the conversion time needed prior to the Wildcats’ Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) contest versus Nebraska-Omaha later the same evening. Both Northern Michigan’s basketball and hockey teams play in the same facility. The women’s game tips off at 11 a.m. (EST).

FSU Defeats SVSU At Home: Ferris State built an 18-point lead in the opening half and then held on to beat Saginaw Valley State 76-73 in GLIAC action Thursday (Feb. 2) evening in FSU's Jim Wink Arena at Big Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs led by 18 points with 1:38 to play in the initial period before taking a 46-32 halftime edge. However, the Cardinals rallied back by outscoring FSU 41-30 in the final frame. SVSU led by as many as three points with five minutes left to go before the Bulldogs secured the victory. The Cardinals cut a four-point Ferris State advantage to a single point with 22 seconds left, but the Bulldogs were able to run the clock down to only four seconds when an intentional foul was called on SVSU. FSU junior guard Erin Miller (Niles) sealed the win with a pair of free throws. Sophomore forward/center Rachel Folcik (Powers/Carney-Nadeau) paced FSU with a personal career-high tying 22 points. Miller added 20 points and junior forward Audrey Thwing (Davison) chipped in 17 points along with nine rebounds.

Ferris Wins In Midland: Ferris recorded an 81-75 league triumph on the road last Saturday (Feb. 4) over Northwood in NU's Bennett Sports Center at Midland, Mich. The Bulldogs trailed 42-39 at halftime but outscored NU 42-33 in the final half to improve to 15-7 overall and 9-4 in conference action this campaign. The victory was FSU's 21st consecutive series' win against the Timberwolves. Junior guard Kristin Reinhart (East Lansing) paced the Bulldogs with 21 points. Audrey Thwing added 17 points, Rachel Folcik netted 14 points, Erin Miller had 11 points and sophomore guard/forward Sam Johns (Allendale) scored 10 points for Ferris State.

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 132-85 (.608) 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 385-410 (.484) 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 (Clare) 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 51-22 (.699) overall record to date in games at Jim Wink Arena, including a 41-19 (.683) 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 169-125 (.575) overall since 1995-96 and sports a 98-83 (.541) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs are 57-43 (.570) overall in road games under head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk, including a 41-28 (.594) record in GLIAC play.

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 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 the Jan. 23 selection. Reinhart joined Erin Miller, who previously was honored Dec. 5, along with Audrey Thwing, who was the honoree Jan. 16, as Bulldog players to claim the honor this year. The selection represented the second time Reinhart has picked up the honor in her career as she was also chosen once (12/6/04) last 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.

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).

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 (Feb. 6) NCAA-II National Statistical leaders. Miller ranks 18th in three-point field goal percentage (.423) while Reinhart is 23rd overall in assists (5.5 apg). As a team, Ferris ranks ninth in free throw percentage (.757), 22nd in scoring offense (75.7 ppg), 22nd in field goal percentage (.446) and 29th 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 12 of their last 15 games overall this campaign, including 10 of their last 12. This season marks the 10th consecutive year the Bulldogs have won 10 or more games in a season .......... Three of FSU’s five remaining regular-season outings this season are away from home ........ Rachel Folcik notched her 500th career point in Thursday’s (Feb. 2) win over Saginaw Valley State. Folcik has scored 10 points or more in 13 out of the last 14 outings she’s played to date this campaign ....... Erin Miller moved into a tie Thursday evening for second place on the school’s all-time chart with 135 career three-point baskets. Miller has reached double-figure scoring in 17 of her last 21 outings this campaign .......... Kristin Reinhart currently has 875 career points and is 125 shy of notching her 1,000th career point.

Regional Rankings: FSU was listed ninth in last week’s (Feb. 1) NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Rankings. 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 fifth, Michigan Tech sixth, Ashland seventh and Hillsdale 10th among the six 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.

Upcoming Slate: Ferris State returns home to host Wayne State Thursday, Feb. 16, in a 6 p.m. (EST) league home contest at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs will then square off against Michigan Tech Saturday, Feb. 18, with the conference home tipoff set for a 1 p.m. (EST) start.

A Look At The Opponents:

Michigan Tech: The Huskies maintain a 32-19 lead and have won eight of the last 11 series’ encounters entering this Thursday’s 52nd meeting. MTU defeated FSU 60-48 in the most recent (2/26/05) meeting at Houghton and swept the Bulldogs in two outings last campaign. MTU is presently 15-5 overall and 11-2 in the GLIAC following last Saturday’s (Feb. 4) 66-51 league road win at Mercyhurst. FSU head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk presently has a 4-11 career coaching record against the Huskies, who have won five of their last six games to date this campaign. Michigan Tech, which is led in scoring by junior guard Catherine Rottier (14.2 ppg), was chosen second in the 2005-06 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll. The Huskies, who are guided by third-year head coach John Barnes, were 21-8 overall during the 2004-05 campaign and compiled a third-place 15-3 GLIAC North Division record.

Northern Michigan: NMU holds a 38-15 series advantage and has won seven of the last 10 meetings heading into this Saturday’s 54th encounter. FSU head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk currently has a 5-11 career coaching mark against Northern Michigan and directed FSU to a 66-53 victory in the most recent (1/12/06) encounter at Big Rapids, Mich. NMU, which is directed by first-year head coach Troy Mattson, presently is 6-14 overall and 2-11 in the GLIAC after Saturday’s (Feb. 4) 73-47 non-conference setback at Gannon. The Wildcats, who have lost seven of their last eight outings to date this campaign, compiled a 16-12 overall record in 2004-05 and placed fifth (8-10) in the GLIAC’s North Division. NMU, which was picked to finish sixth in the 2005-06 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll, is led in scoring by sophomore forward Allison Carroll (13.7 ppg). NMU is scheduled to host Lake Superior State Thursday (Feb. 9) prior to squaring off against the Bulldogs.