It’s been said all season long. The ISU women’s basketball team is a young, inexperienced team.

Try telling that to the two seniors who play their final regular season game in Hilton Coliseum Thursday night.

Brittany Wilkins and Kandice Beenken bid farewell to ISU fans in the Cyclones regular-season finale against Colorado.

Wilkins, who after Thursday will have started all 27 games this season, stepped into a huge role this season. She had only played 1166 career minutes in her first three seasons, but has accumulated almost 800 minutes this season alone.

“Britt [Wilkins] had a dream season,” said ISU coach Bill Fennelly. “For four years she didn’t get to play much at all, and now she’s put up all-conference numbers.”

Wilkins, however, said she won’t dwell on her final Hilton contest until it’s all over.

“There’s a lot of emotions, but more than anything we need to go out and have fun,” she said. “I want to live it up, really. I’ve had a fun five years.”

Beenken has a much different story. A walk-on, she’s seen a total of 131 minutes on the court. That’s not what it’s about to her, though.

No bitterness, no hard feelings – just love.

“It’s been the best experience in my life, just helping out the team the best I can,” Beenken said. “The friendships I’ve made and the memories I have, I can’t really put it into words.”

Fennelly did that for her.

“Kandice [Beenken] hasn’t had the impact on the court on game night, but we practice more than we play games,” he said. “It’s not just about how many points you make, but how you act on the court and off the court. That’s what seniors teach the younger kids.”

Wilkins said Beenken has taught younger players a lot about basketball.

“She’s just as important as any other member,” Wilkins said. “She’s shown such dedication to the program. She gets the younger ones to understand what it takes to be here.”

Beenken, who hopes to attend medical school after graduation, said the experience of being a Cyclone will help her throughout life.

“I’ve made some of my best friends, and I’ve learned a lot about life in general,” she said. “It’s the end of my time here at Iowa State, but I’m going to med school, and I’ll be a better person because of my time here.”

When it boils down to it, the lessons learned trump the Big 12 standings.

“Wins, losses, whatever,” Wilkins said. “It’s always good to be a part of the program like this.”

Stepping onto home court for the last time, Wilkins said she’ll never forget what it means to be a Cyclone.

“The best memories are the people, my teammates and my coaches,” she said. “It will be hard letting it all go.”

That’s life for a Cyclone.

“It’s not just about learning about the game,” Fennelly said. “You hope they’ve learned about life.”