Looking for its first win since Nov. 24, the Gonzaga women’s basketball team returned home with the perfect opportunity, hosting a regional rival it had beaten in 18 straight games.

The Zags (5-6) defeated the Eastern Washington Eagles (2-8) again, 79-50, powered by a 28-point performance from Yvonne Ejim on Saturday at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Allie Turner made five 3-pointers and scored 19 points for GU, ending its four-game losing streak that dates back to a winless performance at the Paradise Jam tournament. Claire O’Connor went 4-5 from 3-point range and scored 18 points.

Ejim energized the Zags from the start, scoring 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting in the first quarter. The Eagles changed their defensive strategies to contain them, but none of them were effective. Late in the half, Ejim was fouled on a layup and converted the and-1 chance, going into the break with 16 points and a 32-27 Zags lead.

“She’s not a player we can stop,” Eastern Washington head coach Joddie Gleason said. “She showed up and we did everything we could to stop her. Luckily for us, she got fouls in the first half. She’s an elite player, one of the best in the country.”

Turner, GU’s second-leading scorer, got off to a slower start than her fifth-year teammate. The 5-foot-7 freshman finished the first half 2-7 from the field and 1-5 from long distance.

After shooting 37.1% in the first half, the Zags came out swinging in the third quarter, hitting six of their first eight attempts from the field to extend their lead to 51-35 midway through the quarter. Three of those hits were 3-pointers from O’Connor, while Turner also found her rhythm with two three-pointers.

“We found a lot of offensive flow in the second half and stuck with it,” said Ejim. “Not letting the ball get stuck, moving it, really trusting our teammates (and) finding the open options. We did a really good job in the second half.”

As the third quarter came to a close, O’Connor drove into the box and missed a floater, but she recovered her own miss and made a second attempt at the buzzer, giving GU a 58-41 lead heading into the fourth quarter .

O’Connor maintained her momentum in the final third, knocking down a midfielder off the dribble to open the quarter. On the next possession, Inês Bettencourt hit GU’s 10th 3-pointer of the game, extending the lead to 20 points.

Late in the quarter, Turner came off a screen on the left wing and sank an open 3-pointer, extending the Zags’ lead to 30 points at 79-49. An Eagles free throw with a minute left marked the final point of the contest as GU celebrated its first win at the McCarthey Athletic Center since defeating Rice on Nov. 21.

The Zags shot 49.2% from the field and 50.0% from 3-point range, a season-high 12 3-pointers. GU also outscored Eastern Washington 46-30, including 35-21 on the defensive line.

“We played great in parts, but not the whole game,” GU head coach Lisa Fortier said. “To have (47) points in the second half is really impressive. That was the best part of the second half – the way the ball moved.”

Peyton Howard led Eastern Washington with 15 points, while Alexis Pettis and Jaecy Eggers each scored 10 points.

GU will begin its West Coast Conference campaign with a road game against San Francisco on Thursday. The Zags will visit San Diego on Saturday before a week-long break.

Henry Krueger is editor-in-chief of The Bulletin. Follow him on X: @henrykrveger.