FSU Women’s Basketball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s basketball team will visit NCAA Division 1 Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne this Wednesday (Nov. 27) for a 7 p.m. (EST) non-conference contest at IPFW’s Hilliard Gates Sports Center in Fort Wayne, Ind. The Bulldogs will then open Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action this Saturday (Nov. 30) hosting the Findlay Oilers in a 1 p.m. (EST) encounter at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich.

Ferris Wins Season Opener - Ferris defeated Saint Francis (Ind.) 75-49 last Saturday (Nov. 23) in its 2002-03 season opener at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena. Junior forward Bridget Horwitz (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) led the Bulldogs with a game-high 19 points and 15 rebounds while junior guard Lucy DeMartin (Mason) added 17 points. Freshman guard Erin Miller (Niles) tallied 10 points. The Bulldogs held a 44-19 halftime advantage and owned a 50-33 rebounding edge.

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. Ten letterwinners and three starters return this season.

The Bulldog Tradition - The Ferris State women’s basketball program has compiled a 324-365 (.470) 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. Lake Superior State, the defending league champion and NCAA-II Tournament participant, was the North Division favorite with 36 points and six first-place votes. Northern Michigan finished second (30 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. Hillsdale was selected to repeat in the South Division with four first-place votes and 24 points.

Home Sweet Home - Ferris State is presently 27-8 (.771) overall in three seasons at Jim Wink Arena. 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. The Bulldogs compiled a 127-125 overall mark in 24 seasons of action at the Old Jim Wink Arena (1974-98). FSU, which won its first 14 games in the new arena and was 9-0 at home during the inaugural 1999-00 campaign, is currently 6-2 (.750) in non-league outings and 21-6 (.778) in GLIAC play at the new Jim Wink Arena.

On The Road Again - Ferris State is 108-81 (.571) overall since 1995-96 and sports a 61-53 (.535) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs are 29-19 (.604) overall in road games under head coach Tracey Fisk, including a 20-16 (.556) record in conference play. FSU has split its last four road openers.

Head Coach Tracey Fisk - Fifth-year FSU head coach Tracey Fisk has a current career coaching record of 71-40 (.640) 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 Among Career Leaders - Bridget Horwitz presently has 58 career blocked shots and needs 12 more to tie Heather Rosneck (70; 1995-99) for second place on Ferris’ career blocks leaders list. 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 (.476; 252-529) on FSU’s career field goal percentage chart, recorded her ninth career double-double performance against Saint Francis.

DeMartin Closing In - Lucy DeMartin presently has 646 career points and is 54 points shy of notching her 700th career point. The 5-9 DeMartin needs 76 points to move into a tie for 20th place with Amy Pickard (722; 1996-00) on the school’s career scoring list. DeMartin, who currently ranks third (.827; 162-196) on the school’s career free throw percentage chart, recorded the program’s fifth-best single-season free throw percentage mark (.853; 93-109) and sixth-best made free throw total (93) in 2001-02. She ranks 11th (.324; 34-105) among Ferris’ career three-point field goal percentage leaders to date.

Bulldog Bites - Ferris head coach Tracey Fisk needs one win to tie Lori Hyman (72-86; 1989-95) for second place on the school's career coaching victory list ...... Bridget Horwitz, a 2001-02 All-GLIAC North Division honoree, has 329 career rebounds to date and is 74 shy of tying Terri Fraser (403; 1978-82) for 18th place among the school’s career leaders .... Senior center Ann Platz (Benton Harbor/Watervliet Grace Christian) dislocated her hand against Saint Francis (Ind.) and will likely miss the remainder of the season. She grabbed her 100th career rebound prior to the injury ........... FSU won its fourth consecutive home debut versus Saint Francis (Ind.) and has now won 11 of its last 12 home openers ...... Junior forward Stephanie Benear (Howell) needs seven points to garner her 150th career point. She had a personal career-high four steals against the Cougars ........ Nine FSU players scored and 13 saw action in last Saturday’s season opener ........ Senior forward Patti Larson (Kalkaska) and sophomore forward Molly Potvin (Lansing/Catholic Central) are Ferris’ 2002-03 team captains ........ The Bulldogs are 1-0 under Fisk in regular-season games against NCAA-I opponents after posting a 67-60 win at Central Michigan in 1999-00 (12/29). Ferris dropped an 89-64 exhibition decision this season (11/16) at Kent State (Ohio).

Against The Opponents - Ferris State will face Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne and Findlay this week.

Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne: The series between Ferris and IPFW is tied 4-4 entering this Tuesday’s meeting. In the last meeting (12/7/91), FSU recorded a 62-57 win at the Bulldog Clarion Classic in Big Rapids, Mich. The NCAA Division I Mastodons have won three of the last five meetings to date and are coached by second-year head coach Bruce Patterson, who previously guided Saint Francis (Ind.) to a 1999-00 NAIA National Runner-up finish. Ferris holds a 3-0 series advantage in Big Rapids but is only 1-4 at Fort Wayne, Ind. IPFW registered a 4-23 overall record during the 2001-02 campaign. The Mastodons improved to 1-1 this season by virtue of their 96-46 win last Sunday (Nov. 24) over Savannah State (Ga.) in the Subway Basketball Classic at Minneapolis, Minn. IPFW, which is led in scoring by junior forward Amy Gearlds (18.5 ppg), dropped its season opener at nationally-ranked Minnesota 116-73 last Saturday (Nov. 23).

Findlay: The Oilers maintain a 4-1 series edge heading into this Saturday’s meeting and defeated Ferris 54-40 in the last meeting (11/29/01) at Findlay, Ohio. UF is presently 1-4 overall heading into this Tuesday’s (Nov. 26) non-conference home contest versus Tiffin (Ohio) after dropping an 86-52 decision last Saturday (Nov. 23) to Northern Kentucky at the Findlay Tipoff Tournament. FSU head coach Tracey Fisk presently has a 1-3 career coaching record versus Findlay and led the Bulldogs to an 87-80 overtime victory in the only series contest at FSU’s new Jim Wink Arena (11/30/00). The Oilers, who are coached by second-year head coach Carolyn Mair, were 16-10 overall during the 2001-02 campaign and placed fifth in the GLIAC’s South Division. Freshman guard Jennifer Winright is UF’s leading scorer (11.0 ppg) to date. Findlay holds a 1-1 all-time mark in Big Rapids.

Looking Ahead - Ferris State will battle the Gannon Knights Thursday, Dec. 5, in a 6 p.m. (EST) league contest at GU’s Hammermill Center in Erie, Pa. The Bulldogs will then face the Mercyhurst Lakers Saturday, Dec. 7, at MC’s Athletic Center in Erie. Tipoff for the GLIAC contest is slated for 1 p.m. (EST).

FSU Ticket Prices - Individual game tickets to all FSU home basketball games can be obtained at the door or by calling the Bulldog ticket office at (231) 591-2888. Adult tickets are $5 and student tickets are $3. A family pass can be purchased for $10. Ferris State faculty/staff ticket prices are $4. Special group pricing is available for groups of 20 or more.

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 including rosters, schedules and the latest results.