A loss to a ranked team couldn’t spoil the ISU women’s basketball team first week — especially away from home.

The Cyclones split a pair of games and freshman point guard Lyndsey Medders scored a combined total of 30 points in her first two collegiate games at the Paradise Jam at the Virgin Islands Nov. 28-29. On Nov. 23, Iowa State opened on the road and dispatched Cleveland State.

Iowa State lost its opening game in the Virgin Islands to No. 24 Virginia Tech 67-57, but rebounded with a 75-59 win over Indiana.

“Virginia Tech is a solid Top-25 team,” Medders said. “They’ve always had a phenomenal program. Indiana is another solid team in the Big Ten.”

Head coach Bill Fennelly said he was impressed by his freshman’s performance in her debut.

“I thought she was very good, considering it was her first two college games and she played against two pretty good teams,” Fennelly said.

Lisa Kriener was the only Cyclone named to the all-tournament team, but Fennelly said he wouldn’t have been surprised if Medders had joined her.

“Overall, we couldn’t have expected much more out of her in her first two college games,” he said. “I don’t think anyone would have guessed she’d play so well.”

Iowa State played the first three games of the season without senior Erica Junod, who sat out after the NCAA ruled her ineligible because of a paperwork error in her application for a redshirt season in 1999-2000.

Junod made the trip with the Cyclones and even though she didn’t get to play, she said the trip was a lot of fun.

“Obviously, it was great weather,” Junod said. “We stayed at a beautiful resort. Coach Fennelly was great, he gave us a lot of free time. We did a boat tour and went snorkeling.”

Medders said the trip was a learning experience as well.

“It wasn’t good to start off with a loss against Virginia Tech, but they’re a great team,” Medders said. “It’s good to know we could have pulled it out. We learned a lot and we got some momentum with a win to end it.”

With five freshmen on the team, Junod said the trip also offered the Cyclones a chance to build team camaraderie.

“A big key to the trip was to form some team chemistry,” Junod said.

Fennelly said he was pleased with his team’s performance at the tournament against a high-caliber Virginia Tech team.

“I think, considering [we were playing without] Junod and with Lyndsey’s injury, overall coming out of it 2-1, I’m very pleased.” Fennelly said. “Everybody wants to be 3-0, but we lost to a really good team. [Virginia Tech] is extremely well-coached, they’re physical.”

After the Virginia Tech game, Fennelly said he was more concerned about Iowa State than Indiana.

“We played really, really well in the second half of [the Indiana] game,” he said. “We were really efficient on offense, we scored 45 points, had five turnovers and shot 50-some percent and we made our free throws.”