SIOUX CITY -- Cleaning up the rough spots on their early season disappointments, the Morningside women’s basketball team is starting to play the sort of defense that has helped Coach Jamie Sale’s program win three national championships.

Tuesday night at halftime, though, the Mustangs’ biggest problem was a lack of offense in a Great Plains Athletic Conference game that saw Dakota Wesleyan, picked 10th in the 13-team league, leading 29-25.

“I think we’ve improved a ton on defense from our first weekend,’’ said Sale. “Maybe our offense has suffered a bit, but our defense has carried us through.’’

And, after that sluggish first half at the Rosen-Verdoorn Sports Center, the offense definitely came around, as well.

Springing to life after their 25 points before intermission, the Mustangs outscored the visiting Tigers 56-31 in the final 20 minutes, pulling away for an 81-60 victory.

Former North High all-stater Tanaeya Worden, a junior transfer who had averaged a team-leading 17.6 points in eight previous games, scored 20 of her game-high 23 after the recess as Morningside’s defending GPAC champs improved to 5-4 overall and 2-0 in the conference.

“We isolated Tanaeya a little bit more (in the second half), trying to get her going, and when she started coming around I think that kind of relaxed the rest of the team,’’ said Sale.

“I like it a lot better when they isolate,’’ said Worden, who played one year at Southern Illinois and another at NCAA Division II Christian Brothers in Nashville before returning to her hometown this fall. “I think it helps us get into the flow with our offense.’’

Redshirt freshman Chelsie Trask, a former Iowa prep all-stater from Rockford who was second in the state in scoring as a senior two seasons ago, matched her season high with 16 points in just her third non-starting role for Morningside.

Meanwhile, 5-11 sophomore Brittany Alfredson scored a season-high 10 points in her second starting appearance while 5-10 senior Leslie Foral hauled down a game-high 12 rebounds, one shy of a career best.

But it was Worden whose performance lingered on the mind of Dakota Wesleyan Coach Aaron Kahl.

“I’m ready for them to be retiring her (Worden’s) number, too,’’ quipped Kahl, referring to pre-game ceremonies during which Dani Gass and Autumn Bartel, senior stars on last year’s 38-0 national championship team, had their uniforms retired.

“Everyone knew it was going to take awhile for them to adjust without Gass and Bartel, but there’s no doubt they’re going to be a top team in our conference,’’ said Kahl.

Indeed, with the conference schedule just two games old for 11 teams and only one game along for the other two, only three teams emerged from Tuesday’s action without a GPAC loss. Tied for first with Morningside, all at 2-0, were Hastings and Northwestern, the teams picked second and third in the league’s preseason poll.

“Tanaeya really sparked us,’’ said Sale. “Chelsie and Brittany both played really well, too.’’

Morningside shot just 28 percent in the first half (7 of 25), but Dakota Wesleyan, leading the league in field goal percentage at .485, was even worse with a .276 clip (8 of 29).

Worden said Sale gave a patient halftime appraisal.

“We were more upset with ourselves than he was,’’ said the 5-6 junior.

Morningside broke away from a 35-35 tie just under four minutes into the second half with a 30-7 surge that opened up a 65-42 advantage. The largest margin was 26 points at 78-52.

Dakota Wesleyan, coming off a road win Saturday at Dordt, fell to 3-5 and 1-1 with the loss. Elizabeth Lamb, a freshman guard, came off the bench to lead the Tigers with 11 points while Allison Johnson tallied 10 and Maggie Malloy nine.

Morningside plays Milwaukee Engineering and Whitworth of Spokane, Wash., a pair of NCAA Division III foes, in non-league games Saturday at Sunday at Colorado College in Colorado Springs. Both games start at 2 p.m. CST.

The Mustangs return to GPAC action next Wednesday, hosting Sioux Falls, which dealt previously unbeaten Briar Cliff its first loss of the season Tuesday night. The Cougars were picked fourth in the preseason league poll.

Dakota Wesleyan (60)

Min FG-A FT-A RB A PF TP

Maggie Malloy 32 2 8 4 8 3 2 1 9

Angela Noteboom 17 2 2 2 2 3 0 3 6

Ashley Mailey 16 1 3 1 4 4 0 2 3

Allison Johnson 29 2 11 6 8 6 3 1 10

Ashley Johnson 19 2 5 0 0 3 5 4 5

Elizabeth Lamb 34 4 10 0 0 3 2 0 11

Brittany Hills 19 3 6 0 0 1 0 1 9

Jessica Bartscher 17 1 4 0 0 3 0 1 3

Marie Olson 10 0 0 1 2 4 0 2 1

Emily Bastian 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0

Ashley Pommer 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

Hannah Downing 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 3

Team 3

Totals 200 18 51 14 24 36 14 15 60

Morningside (81)

Brittany Alfredson 16 4 5 0 0 3 1 4 10

Leslie Foral 27 0 3 1 2 12 2 3 1

Brittany Williamson 17 2 8 3 4 3 2 3 7

Tanaeya Worden 20 8 12 2 2 3 2 2 23

Shelby Beaudette 18 3 5 0 0 2 0 1 8

Chelsie Trask 21 4 8 7 9 1 1 1 16

Katie Sponder 13 2 5 0 0 5 1 0 4

Laura Nelson 18 1 5 0 0 2 0 0 3

Roni Miller 20 3 4 0 0 4 1 2 6

MacKenzi Mendlik 10 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0

Bobbi McManaman 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 3

Sarah Culp 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Lindsay Determan 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Brianna Mozer 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

Lauren Nugent 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Randi Ebert 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Team 2

Totals 200 28 61 13 17 37 11 18 81

Score by halves:

Dakota Wesleyan 29 31 -- 60

Morningside 25 56 -- 81

3-point shots: Dakota Wesleyan 10-24 (Lamb 3-7, Hills 3-4, Downing 1-1, As. Johnson 1-2, Bartscher 1-2, Malloy 1-5, Pomjmer 0-1, Al. Johnson 0-2); Morningside 12-28 (Worden 5-8, Alfredson 2-3, Beaudette 2-3, McManaman 1-1, Trask 1-4, Nelson 1-5, Williamson 0-1, Mozer 0-1, Foral 0-2).