With Wednesday’s 63–60 defeat to Northern Iowa, ISU coach Greg McDermott has fallen to 1–3 against his old school. He is 3–8 overall against Drake, Northern Iowa and Iowa since arriving in Ames. With a revolving door of players, struggles were expected, but the late game breakdown by the Cyclones involved newcomers.

LaRon Dendy’s ill-timed jump shot and guard Scott Christopherson’s bloody elbow that required him to come off the floor with 2.5 seconds left to play left plenty of questions for the fans packing Hilton Coliseum.

“I probably trust [the newcomers] a little too much right now,” McDermott said. “We had a lead there, that’s on me. I’ve got to take a timeout, and take control of it.

“Scott and Lucca [Staiger] are our two best shooters. It was too bad we didn’t catch [Scott’s bleeding] in the timeout.”

The Cyclones’ struggles weren’t limited to late in the game, as several question marks have turned up as Iowa State prepares for a long-distance road trip and the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series.

Vanderbeken’s Injury — Senior forward Jamie Vanderbeken suffered an apparent knee injury near the Northern Iowa bench in the first half of Wednesday’s game. The 6-foot-11-inch smooth shooter from Belleville, Ontario, was on the floor in pain for a few seconds before the coaching staff acknowledged the injury. He limped off the court under his own power after a couple minutes.

“I think he just banged knees, but he couldn’t come back,” McDermott said.

The loss of Vanderbeken affected the Cyclones’ defense on 7-footer Jordan Eglseder, and no timetable has been set on his return.

Pomlee’s Suspension  — Reserve forward L.A. Pomlee was not dressed for Wednesday’s game, as the 6-foot-8-inch redshirt freshman from Davenport was suspended indefinitely for a violation of team policy. No other information was provided on the situation.

Dendy’s Return — LaRon Dendy returned to the lineup for the Cyclones after logging only eight minutes in his prior return from a knee injury against St. Louis. Dendy hurt his knee in practice following the season opener against Idaho State, and though he returned last Friday, he left quickly in the contest and missed Saturday’s Northwestern game. The 6-foot-9-inch forward had provided plenty of spark off the bench for McDermott’s team in exhibition play and added 16 points in his debut against Idaho State.

Dendy played 12 minutes in Wednesday’s game, and his return is even more important to the Cyclones now, given Vanderbeken’s injury.