YPSILANTI, Mich. (Interstat) — Amber Tretter scored 25 points and Miami (Ohio) used a dominant first half to cruise past Eastern Michigan 78-60 in a Mid-American Conference women’s basketball game Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.

The Redhawks, who led wire-to-wire, improved to 23-5 overall and strengthened their position atop the MAC standings. The Eagles fell to 12-14.

The most important part of the game was Miami’s explosive start, which effectively decided the contest before halftime. The Redhawks shot out to a 24-12 lead after the first quarter and extended it to a commanding 48-25 advantage by the break. Eastern Michigan never got closer than 15 points in the second half, as Miami’s early cushion proved insurmountable.

Tretter, a 6-foot-1 junior from Ferdinand, Indiana, was the catalyst. She finished 8 of 17 from the field, including four 3-pointers, and added five rebounds, a block and a steal in 37 minutes. Her performance continued a strong stretch, coming off a 20-point effort in a narrow loss to Massachusetts on Feb. 14.

Fernanda Ovalle led Eastern Michigan with 21 points, four assists and two blocks. Sisi Eleko added 12 points and Believe Tshibangu contributed 11 off the bench for the Eagles, who outscored Miami 34-20 in the paint and 14-4 off turnovers but could not overcome their cold start.

Miami point guard Tamar Singer, from Haifa, Israel, orchestrated the offense with 11 points and eight assists. Amber Scalia added 11 points and five assists, while Ilse de Vries chipped in nine points for the Redhawks.

Eastern Michigan showed life in the third quarter, outscoring Miami 24-15 behind 10 points from Ovalle, but could not sustain the momentum. The Redhawks steadied themselves in the final period, holding the Eagles to 11 points to close out the victory.

The game was a rematch of a Jan. 14 meeting in Oxford, Ohio, which Miami won 69-55. The Redhawks have now won four straight in the series.

Miami shot efficiently from the perimeter to build its early lead, while Eastern Michigan struggled to find its offensive rhythm, shooting under 35% from the field in the first half. The Eagles finished the game at 39% shooting, while Miami connected on 47% of its attempts.

The Redhawks’ defensive pressure also played a key role, forcing 18 Eastern Michigan turnovers, which they converted into 18 points. Miami committed only 10 turnovers.

A crowd of 1,167 watched as Miami maintained its pursuit of a MAC regular-season title. The Redhawks entered the game with an 88.1% probability to win according to Interstat’s ELO system.

Miami continues its season on the road Saturday at Akron. Eastern Michigan travels to face Northern Illinois on Saturday.