FSU Women’s Basketball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s basketball team will battle the Lake Superior State Lakers in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action this Thursday (Feb. 6) with tipoff slated for 6 p.m. (EST) in FSU’s Jim Wink Arena at Big Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs will then visit the Northwood Timberwolves this Saturday (Feb. 8) for a 1 p.m. (EST) league contest at NU’s Bennett Sports Center in Midland, Mich. FSU, which is presently 11-8 overall and 6-6 in conference action, ranks 484th of 1,319 institutions (all levels) represented in the latest (Jan. 27) Dunkel Sports Research Index Women’s Basketball Ratings and is tied for fourth place in the GLIAC North Division standings.

Bulldogs Split Two League Games - Ferris split two league home games last weekend (Jan. 30 & Feb. 1). The Bulldogs bolted out to a 19-point halftime advantage and defeated the Michigan Tech Huskies 81-76 last Thursday (Jan. 30). FSU then dropped an 89-79 decision to the Northern Michigan Wildcats last Saturday (Feb. 1). Junior forward/center Bridget Horwitz (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) led Ferris with a game-high 29 points versus MTU. Junior guard Lucy DeMartin (Mason) added 17 points, freshman guard Erin Miller (Niles) had 14 points and junior forward Stephanie Benear (Howell) chipped in 10 points. DeMartin scored 22 points, Horwitz registered 17 points and Miller tallied 16 points in the loss to NMU. Benear totaled a personal career-high 12 points.

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.

The Bulldog Tradition - The Ferris State women’s basketball program has compiled a 334-373 (.472) 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.

Head Coach Tracey Fisk - Fifth-year FSU head coach Tracey Fisk has a current career 81-48 (.628) coaching record 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).

DeMartin Nine Points Away - Lucy DeMartin presently has 991 career points and needs nine more to become the 10th player in school history to register 1,000 career points. DeMartin, who has an active 24-game double-figure scoring streak, presently has been FSU’s leading scorer 10 times in the last 18 contests. She ranks seventh (.350; 62-177) among Ferris’ career three-point field goal percentage leaders to date and is six treys shy of tying Carrie Roys (68; 1996-00) for eighth place on the school’s career made three-point field goal list. DeMartin, who currently ranks seventh (.780; 227-291) on the school’s career free throw percentage chart, presently has 226 career assists and needs six more to tie Erica Thomas (232; 1988-92) for eighth place among FSU’s leaders. She has 116 career steals to date and is nine short of matching Jill Thayer’s (125; 1994-98) 10th-place total.

Horwitz Two Short - Bridget Horwitz currently has made 373 career field goals and is two shy of tying Sandy Davison’s (375; 1983-86) ninth-place career mark. The 6-2 Horwitz presently has 75 career blocks and needs 98 more to reach Mary Patterson’s (173; 1984-87) school-record career total. A 2001-02 All-GLIAC Second-Team pick, Horwitz is averaging a team-high 8.8 rebounds per game and ranks second (17.2 ppg) among Ferris' scoring leaders. Horwitz, who currently ranks eighth (.480; 373-777) on FSU’s career field goal percentage chart, has 472 career rebounds to date and is 58 shy of tying Kim Cesarz (530; 1981-85) for 11th place at FSU. She has 895 career points to date and ranks 13th on the school’s all-time list.

Miller Continues To Shine - Erin Miller, who has posted 13 double-figure scoring games this campaign to date, presently ranks as FSU’s third-leading scorer (13.0) this campaign and has scored 10 points or more in 10 of her last 13 games to date. She needs nine steals to match Valerie Scott’s (55; 1995-96) 10th-place single-season total. Miller is the squad’s steals (2.4 spg) leader and ranks second (3.1 apg) in assists to date.

Tough To Beat At Home - Ferris is presently 30-11 (.732) overall 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. FSU, which won its first 14 games in the facility, is currently 6-2 (.750) in non-league outings and 24-9 (.727) in GLIAC play at the new Jim Wink Arena.

Bulldog Bites - The Bulldogs are in the midst of their seventh consecutive 10-win campaign. FSU has won at least 10 games in a season 12 times in the last 13 years .......... Stephanie Benear notched her 200th career point versus Michigan Tech. Benear, who needs eight assists to garner her 100th career assist, registered her first career back-to-back double-figure scoring games last weekend ........ Seven of Ferris' 11 wins this campaign have came by 10 points or more ........ Sophomore forward Sarah Duesing (Sault Ste. Marie/Sault Area) currently has 88 career points and is 12 points away from notching her 100th career point ....... Lucy DeMartin’s current team-leading scoring average (19.1 ppg) ranks first among the school’s all-time junior class leaders.

On The Road - Ferris State is 118-89 (.570) overall since 1995-96 and sports a 68-58 (.540) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs are 35-23 (.603) overall in road games under head coach Tracey Fisk, including a 23-19 (.548) record in conference play.

Against The Opponents - FSU will battle Lake Superior State and Northwood this week.

Lake Superior State: LSSU holds a 37-26 series’ advantage and has won the last three meetings entering this Thursday’s 64th encounter. FSU head coach Tracey Fisk currently has a 4-5 career coaching mark against Lake Superior State and dropped a 91-59 decision in the last meeting (1/25/03) between the two teams at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. LSSU, which is directed by fifth-year head coach Kris Dunbar, presently is 17-3 overall and 13-1 in the GLIAC after last Sunday’s (Feb. 2) 90-69 league home win over Northwood. The Lakers, who have won 12 consecutive games to date, compiled a 21-6 overall record in 2001-02 and placed first (14-4) in the GLIAC’s North Division. LSSU, which was picked to finish first in the 2002-03 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll, was listed first among others receiving votes in the latest (Jan. 29) USA Today/ESPN/ Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division II Top 25 poll. Senior forward Alice Duesing, the older sister of FSU’s Sarah Duesing, presently ranks as LSSU’s leading scorer (17.9 ppg).

Northwood: The Bulldogs maintain a 32-12 advantage heading into this Saturday’s 45th series meeting. FSU has won 14 straight games and beat NU 66-46 in the team’s last meeting (1/16/03) held at Big Rapids, Mich. NU is presently 7-13 overall and 3-9 in the GLIAC after last Sunday’s (Feb. 2) 90-69 league loss at Lake Superior State. FSU head coach Tracey Fisk presently has a 9-0 career coaching record against the Timberwolves, who have lost five of their last six games to date. Northwood, which is led in scoring by senior forward La’Tonya Crawford (11.4 ppg), was 6-19 overall in 2001-02 and placed seventh (2-16) in the GLIAC’s North Division. The Timberwolves, who are guided by third-year head coach Kelli Parker, were picked to finish sixth in the 2002-03 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll.

Between The Lines - Between The Lines, a weekly television program profiling Ferris State University Athletics, continues to be aired across northern Michigan on WFQX-Fox 33 every Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. (ET). The 30-minute program is hosted by Ira Childress and produced in the studios of the University’s cable Channel 7. FSU women’s basketball head coach Tracey Fisk will make regular appearances throughout the season. The show is also aired locally on the University's cable Channel 7 every Tuesday (7 p.m.), Wednesday (8:30 p.m.) and Sunday (7 p.m.).

FSU Sports Luncheon - The next FSU Sports Luncheon of the 2002-03 athletics season will be held this Wednesday (Feb. 5) from 12-1 p.m. (EST) at Ferris’ Center Ice in Big Rapids, Mich. Featured speakers include FSU men’s basketball head coach Bill Sall, softball head coach Keri Becker and women’s basketball head coach Tracey Fisk. For more information, contact the FSU Alumni Office at (231) 591-2345.

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.

Looking Ahead - Ferris will battle the Grand Valley State Lakers in league action Monday, Feb. 10, with tipoff slated for 6 p.m. (EST) at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs then host the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals Saturday, Feb. 15. Tipoff is at 1 p.m. (EST).

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.