FREMONT, Neb. -- Just like the season itself, it was a slow start Saturday for the Morningside College women's basketball team, the defending NAIA Division II national champs.

Playing their Great Plains Athletic Conference season opener, the Mustangs of Coach Jamie Sale spotted Midland Lutheran the game's first eight points before surging back to lead by double-digit marks most of the way in a 65-49 victory.

Former North High all-stater Tanaeya Worden accounted for nearly one-third of the offense, netting a game-high 21 points to help Morningside square its hard-luck early season record at 4-4.

Brittany Williamson was the Mustangs' only other double-figure scorer with 12 points while her alternate in the post, Roni Miller, added a nine-point outing.

Tricia Hoffman, a 5-9 sophomore from Homer, Neb., hit three of five shots from three-point range and collected 10 points to lead Midland Lutheran, now 3-5 overall. The Warriors also got a game-high 11 rebounds from 5-11 sophomore Kelli Hermsmeyer.

Morningside led by as many as 12 points before settling for a 33-24 halftime lead. The Mustangs pulled away to lead by as many as 18 in the second half.

Morningside opens its GPAC home schedule Tuesday night, hosting Dakota Wesleyan at 6 p.m.

Morningside (65)

Min FG-A FT-A RB A PF TP

Shelby Beaudette 23 1 3 0 0 1 4 0 2

Tanaeya Worden 30 8 18 3 3 3 5 1 21

Brittany Alfredson 12 1 4 0 0 3 0 1 3

Leslie Foral 21 1 3 0 0 5 1 3 2

Brittany Williamson 23 5 7 2 2 5 2 2 12

Chelsie Trask 20 1 6 4 4 2 1 0 6

MacKenzi Mendlik 17 1 3 0 0 3 1 3 2

Katie Sponder 17 2 4 0 0 2 4 0 5

Laura Nelson 15 1 8 0 0 3 1 1 3

Roni Miller 15 4 5 1 1 3 1 4 9

Lindsay Determan 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

Sarah Culp 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

Randi Ebert 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Team 4

Totals 200 25 62 10 10 34 21 15 65

Midland Lutheran (49)

Min FG-A FT-A RB A PF TP

Megan Torkelson 33 3 6 2 2 1 6 2 8

Kelli Hermsmeyer 32 3 8 0 1 11 2 1 6

Kerry Butzke 25 2 9 2 2 7 0 3 7

Carly Horky 18 1 5 0 0 3 2 1 2

Tricia Hoffman 37 3 7 1 3 7 0 1 10

Morgan Smeal 20 2 6 0 0 1 3 2 6

Sharlay Butler 17 2 5 1 1 4 1 1 5

Traci Flanagan 14 2 6 0 0 1 2 0 5

Kristen Cameron 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

Team 4

Totals 200 18 52 6 9 39 16 12 49 Score by halves:

Morningside 33 32 — 65

Midland Lutheran 24 25 — 49

3-point goals — Morningside 5-25 (Worden 2-7, Sponder 1-1, Alfredson 1-4, Nelson 1-8, Williamson 0-1, Mendlik 0-1, Determan 0-1, Trask 0-2), Midland Lutheran 7-18, Hoffman 3-5, Smeal 2-4, Butzke 1-3, Flanagan 1-4, Torkelson 0-1, Horky 0-1).