OXFORD, Ohio (Interstat) — A dominant second-quarter surge propelled the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks to a 65-53 victory over the Central Michigan Chippewas in a Mid-American Conference women’s basketball game Wednesday night at Millett Hall.

The Redhawks, improving to 21-5 overall and solidifying their position atop the conference, used a 24-point second period to erase an early deficit and seize control of the game. The Chippewas, who led 13-8 after a defensive-minded first quarter, fell to 16-9.

Central Michigan started strong, leveraging its interior presence to build a five-point lead after ten minutes. The Chippewas’ defense held Miami to just three field goals in the opening quarter. However, the game turned decisively in the second frame.

Miami’s offense, stagnant early, erupted behind the playmaking of guard Tamar Singer and the scoring of Amber Scalia and Nuria Jurjo. The Redhawks opened the quarter on a 17-2 run, flipping a 13-8 deficit into a 25-15 advantage. Singer, the 5-foot-4 guard from Haifa, Israel, orchestrated the offense with precision, dishing out four of her game-high nine assists in the period. Her connection with Jurjo was particularly effective, as the duo combined for several baskets that stretched the Central Michigan defense.

Jurjo, a 5-foot-10 guard from Barcelona, Spain, finished with a team-high 16 points, while Scalia, from Stillwater, Minnesota, led all scorers with 18 points. The Redhawks’ 24-point quarter was fueled by efficient ball movement and capitalized on a series of Central Michigan turnovers, outscoring the Chippewas by 14 points in the period to take a 32-23 lead into halftime.

The most important sequence of the game occurred midway through the second quarter and effectively broke the contest open. With Miami leading 15-13, Central Michigan’s Ayanna-Sarai Darrington was assessed a flagrant foul against Jurjo with 7:29 remaining. Jurjo made one of the two ensuing free throws, and Miami retained possession. On the inbound play, Jurjo found Amber Tretter for an easy layup. On the next Miami trip, Singer fed Jurjo for another layup, capping a quick five-point possession that extended the lead to 21-13. The Chippewas never recovered from that pivotal swing, as the Redhawks’ lead ballooned to double digits shortly after and Central Michigan could not cut the deficit below seven points for the remainder of the game.

Central Michigan fought to stay within reach in the second half, with Madi Morson of Canton, Michigan, scoring a game-high 17 points and Darrington adding 14 points and a strong rebounding presence. Demetria Prewitt of Madison, Wisconsin, contributed 13 points and three blocked shots for the Chippewas. Each time Central Michigan threatened, however, Miami had an answer, often from Scalia or Jurjo, to maintain a comfortable margin.

Miami’s frontcourt also delivered key performances. Ilse de Vries, a 6-foot-3 forward from Groningen, Netherlands, provided a crucial spark off the bench with 11 points, while starter Amber Tretter of Ferdinand, Indiana, added 13 points and solid interior defense.

The Redhawks’ defense was a constant, forcing 20 Central Michigan turnovers and converting them into 21 points. Miami also controlled the paint, outscoring Central Michigan 34-26 inside.

A crowd of 517 at Millett Hall watched the Redhawks win their eighth game in the last nine outings. Miami will look to continue its conference success when it hosts Ball State on Saturday. Central Michigan, which had its two-game winning streak snapped, returns home to face Massachusetts on Saturday.

According to Interstat’s ELO system, Miami (Ohio) entered the game with an 86.10 percent probability to win. The Redhawks’ performance, particularly in the game-altering second quarter, validated that projection and demonstrated why they are the team to beat in the MAC.