Swayed by no one Sunday, ISU women’s basketball head coach Bill Fennelly is still looking for somebody to replace the felled Erica Junod.

Senior Tracy Gahan will play Junod’s off guard spot in the Cyclones’ season opener Saturday at Marquette.

Gahan played power forward last year.

Fennelly isn’t worried about Gahan as a guard – “Tracy’s flexibility allows us to play her at a number of positions,” he said – Fennelly’s worried about Gahan’s replacement in the post.

Junior Holly Bordewyk started Sunday against Johnson Financial Services, the exhibition team made up of former collegiate players.

Soon, however, Bordewyk found herself on the bench. She played seven minutes total, scoring no points and grabbing one rebound.

“We didn’t know who we were going to start,” Fennelly said. “Holly had a little more feel for the system. Nothing negative against Holly, I just thought Tracy Paustian gave us more life tonight.”

Tracy Paustian is the freshman guard from Walcott, Iowa who started the second half for the Cyclones after scoring seven points in the first half.

She made 5 of 8 shots from the field overall, scoring 12 points while grabbing six rebounds.

Fennelly didn’t like many things he saw in Iowa State’s 71-36 victory Sunday, but “Tracy Paustian, I thought, was a bright spot,” he said.

Because Gahan played point guard Sunday in lieu of Lindsey Wilson, who sat out nursing tendonitis in her right shoulder, Paustian was able to roam the offensive perimeter – something she may not do much of when Wilson returns and Gahan moves back to off-guard at Marquette.

Which brings up another point.

More than needing a power forward – junior college transfer Melanie Bremer scored 11 points Sunday and freshman Lisa Kriener added the same off the bench – or an adequate shooting guard to relieve Gahan, the Cyclones need a solid ball handler besides Wilson.

The apprentice is freshman guard Ada Anderson.

Fennelly played her 21 minutes Sunday because she’ll bring the ball up when Wilson and Gahan are unavailable to do so.

“She plays hard,” Fennelly said. “Her ball handling’s not nearly good enough at this level . there’ll be times when she can help us. I don’t think it’ll be in a ball-handling situation against pressure defense.”

Still, Fennelly said she is the backup’s back-up.

When Johnson Financial tried to poke the ball away, Anderson lowered her left shoulder to protect her dribble with her right hand, rather than crossing the dribble over to her left.

She appeared to lack confidence about using her weaker hand to dribble, and her two turnovers Sunday may be indicative of that.

Still, Anderson played solid. She scored five points, grabbed five rebounds and threw two assists.

Versatility may be the Cyclones strength.

Anderson can play point guard through small forward. Paustian can play either shooting guard or small forward. Post players Kriener and Bremer each shot three-pointers Sunday and Gahan can play all five positions.

“I think we can be a good team, I really do,” Fennelly said. “We have a lot of growing to do. We’ve got to have some key people get involved earlier – kind of carry the load for us until the new kids come around.”

The new kids Sunday scored 27 of Iowa State’s 29 first-half points. The game’s high scorer was small forward Mary Cofield, with 18.

In fact, of the three other Cyclones scoring ten or more, only senior Angie Welle had done so last year.

“I don’t know if we have one player right now ready to say `OK, you’re our sixth player, you’re our seventh player,'” Fennelly said. “I think it’ll be a different kid every night. And hopefully, it will be at least somebody every night.”

Aiding the offense this Saturday will be Wilson, whose tendonitis will not prohibit her from starting.

“Everybody says, `What about when Lindsey’s out?’ Well what about when she isn’t?” Gahan said.