FSU Women’s Basketball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s basketball team will battle the Ashland Eagles in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play this Saturday (Jan. 11) with tipoff slated for 1 p.m. (EST) at AU’s Kates Gymnasium in Ashland, Ohio. Ferris, which is presently 7-5 overall and 2-3 in league action, has split its last four games to date. The Bulldogs rank 331st of 1,319 institutions (all levels) represented in the current (Jan. 6) Dunkel Sports Research Index Women's Basketball Ratings.

FSU Drop Two League Games - Ferris State lost two league home games last weekend (Jan. 2 & 4) at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. FSU dropped a 73-57 decision to the Hillsdale Chargers last Thursday (Jan. 2) and then fell to the Wayne State Warriors 86-70 last Saturday (Jan. 4). Junior guard Lucy DeMartin (Mason) led Ferris with 13 points versus Hillsdale and added 12 against WSU. Junior forward/center Bridget Horwitz (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) tallied 18 points along with 18 rebounds in the loss to Wayne State while contributing 10 points versus HC.

Last Season - Ferris State finished the 2001-02 campaign with a 14-12 overall mark, including a fourth-place 10-8 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division finish. The Bulldogs advanced to the GLIAC Tournament for the third consecutive season. Senior forward Patti Larson (Kalkaska) and sophomore forward Molly Potvin (Lansing/Catholic Central) are Ferris’ 2002-03 team captains. Ten letterwinners and three starters return this season.

The Bulldog Tradition - The Ferris State women’s basketball program has compiled a 330-370 (.471) all-time mark in its 28 previous campaigns. 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.

Ferris Picked Fifth In Preseason Poll - Ferris State was picked to finish fifth in the 2002-03 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs tallied 16 total points. The league's 13 head coaches participated in the balloting, but were not allowed to vote for their teams. The first-place team on each ballot received six points while the second received five points, etc.

Hitting The Road Again - Ferris State is 114-86 (.570) overall since 1995-96 and sports a 66-56 (.541) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs are 33-21 (.611) overall in road games under head coach Tracey Fisk, including a 21-17 (.553) record in conference play.

Head Coach Tracey Fisk - Fifth-year FSU head coach Tracey Fisk has a current career coaching record of 77-45 (.631) 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).

Horwitz Notches Career Performance - Bridget Horwitz totaled a personal career-high 18 rebounds versus the Warriors, which topped her previous career-best of 16 recorded last season (1/5) at Wayne State. A 2001-02 All-GLIAC Second-Team pick, Horwitz currently has an active 20-game double-figure scoring streak dating back to last season. She is averaging a team-high 10.1 rebounds per game and ranks second among Ferris' scoring leaders at 18.3 points per game. Horwitz currently has made 332 career field goals and is 33 shy of tying Jodi Raab’s (365; 1989-93) 10th-place career mark.

DeMartin 10 Points Shy - Lucy DeMartin presently has scored 865 career points and needs 10 more to move into a 12th-place tie with Heather Rosneck (875; 1995-99) on FSU's career scoring leaders list. DeMartin, who has scored 10 points or more in 17 consecutive games dating back to last season, presently has scored 20 points or more in six of her last 11 outings and is averaging 19.9 points per game during that span. She ranks eighth (.342; 50-146) among Ferris’ career three-point field goal percentage leaders to date and needs nine more treys to tie Ann Rienstra (59; 1986-89) for 11th place on the school’s all-time made three-point field goal chart. DeMartin, who currently ranks sixth (.792; 209-264) on the school’s career free throw percentage chart, presently has 195 career assists and needs 22 more to tie Ann Rienstra (217; 1986-89) for 10th place among FSU’s career leaders. She has 103 career steals to date and is 22 short of matching Jill Thayer’s (125; 1994-98) 10th-place career total. The 5-9 DeMartin is one made free throw away from tying Valerie Scott (210; 1994-98) and Gina Harrington (210; 1993-95) for 10th place among the school’s all-time leaders.

Freshman Scoring Well - Freshman guard Erin Miller (Niles), who has posted seven double-figure scoring games to date, presently ranks as FSU’s third-leading scorer (11.4) this campaign. The 5-7 Miller currently is shooting 43-percent (16-37) from three-point range and has started all 12 games this campaign. She has scored 10 points or more in four of her last six games to date.

Bulldog Bites - Bridget Horwitz notched her 800th career point versus Wayne State. The 6-2 Horwitz is averaging 20.1 points and 9.0 rebounds in the Bulldogs’ eight road/neutral site contests to date ....... The Bulldogs’ top three season scoring leaders (Lucy DeMartin, Horwitz, & Erin Miller) have accounted for 592 of the squad's 875 total points (68%) this season ........... Junior forward Stephanie Benear (Howell) needs 19 points to garner her 200th career point while Molly Potvin is 25 points shy of reaching the same mark. Potvin has scored 10 points or more in two of her last four outings to date ........ Lucy DeMartin attained her 300th career made field goal versus WSU. She is averaging 22.6 points per game in Ferris’ seven wins this campaign. DeMartin, who currently ranks as FSU’s leading scorer (19.7 ppg), has led Ferris in scoring in seven of the last 11 outings to date ....... Saturday’s game versus Wayne State marked FSU’s 700th women’s basketball contest ........ Erin Miller is shooting 63 percent (10-16) from three-point range in FSU’s seven victories this season ........ Sophomore forward Sarah Duesing (Sault Ste. Marie/Sault Area) totaled a personal career-high 12 points versus Hillsdale, which topped her previous career-high six-point effort against Saginaw Valley State (1/24/02) ......... Sophomore guard Kari Searles (Marshall) and freshman guard Kara Gallert (Wyoming/Park) both totaled a season-high five points versus the Chargers ........ Ferris is averaging 75.1 points per game in road/neutral site contests this season compared to only 68.5 points per game in home outings ....... Lucy DeMartin currently ranks second (19.7 ppg) among the GLIAC’s scoring leaders while Bridget Horwitz is seventh (18.2 ppg) in the latest (Jan. 7) statistical rankings. Horwitz holds the league’s second-best (10.1 rpg) overall rebounding average, DeMartin is fourth in steals (2.75) and Erin Miller ranks fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.432) ........ FSU presently leads the league in both three-point field goal percentage defense (.264) and assists (16.83).

Horwitz One Block Shy - Bridget Horwitz currently has 69 career blocked shots and needs one more to tie Heather Rosneck (70; 1995-99) for second place on Ferris' career blocks chart. She has 435 career rebounds to date and is four shy of tying Ola Earvin (439; 1993-95) for 14th place among the school’s career leaders. The 6-2 Horwitz posted the school’s third-best single-season scoring average (15.0 ppg) by a Bulldog sophomore during the 2001-02 campaign. She also placed fifth among the program’s sophomores in single-season rebounds (8.8 rpg) while compiling a team-best eight double-double (scoring & rebounding) performances. Horwitz, who currently ranks eighth (.481; 332-690) on FSU’s career field goal percentage chart, recorded her 15th career double-double performance versus Wayne State. Horwitz has presently led Ferris in rebounding in 10 games this campaign.

Against The Opponent - Ferris State will visit the Ashland Eagles for a league encounter at AU’s Kates Gymnasium in Ashland, Ohio.

Ashland: The series is tied 5-5 entering this Saturday’s contest. Ashland defeated FSU 71-66 in the last meeting (1/12/02) at Big Rapids, Mich. AU is presently 7-7 overall and 2-3 in GLIAC action heading into this Thursday’s (Jan. 9) conference home contest versus Grand Valley State as a result of dropping a 93-68 GLIAC decision at Lake Superior State this past Monday (Jan. 6). FSU head coach Tracey Fisk presently has a 3-1 career coaching record against the Eagles, who have lost four consecutive games to date. Ashland, which is led in scoring by junior forward/center Alanna Buurma (14.9 ppg), was 17-10 overall in 2001-02 and placed tied for first (11-6) in the GLIAC’s South Division. The Eagles, who are coached by eighth-year head coach Sue Ramsey, were picked to finish second in the 2002-03 GLIAC South Division Preseason Coaches Poll.

Looking Ahead - Ferris will host the Northwood Timberwolves for a league encounter Thursday, Jan. 16, at 6 p.m. (EST) in FSU’s Jim Wink Arena. The Bulldogs will then visit the nationally-ranked Grand Valley State Lakers Saturday, Jan. 18, for a 6 p.m. (EST) conference contest in GVSU’s Fieldhouse Arena at Allendale, Mich.

Ferris 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.