Eastern Washington women’s basketball coach Joddie Gleason knew it would be difficult to contain the reigning West Coast Conference Player of the Year.

What Gleason didn’t expect was the perimeter precision Gonzaga displayed Saturday afternoon as the Zags ran away from the Eagles 79-50 in front of 5,243 at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Gonzaga guards Allie Turner and Claire O’Connor combined for nine 3-pointers, a telling complement to the challenging interior work of fifth-year forward Yvonne Ejim, who scored a career-high 28 points in under 22 minutes . Ejim made 11 of 16 field attempts with five assists and three rebounds.

Ejim probably could have scored more goals if there hadn’t been foul trouble in the first half.

“She’s not a player we can stop,” 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.”

The win ended a four-game losing streak for the Zags. The four setbacks in a row are the longest stretch since 2005/06.

Gonzaga finished 5-6 in nonconference play.

The Zags took an early 13-2 lead, but the Eagles (2-8) fought back to take a three-point lead in the second quarter.

“Our second quarter felt like it was probably our worst quarter. “It felt like the ball got stuck,” Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier said. “It’s hard to play better defense when you have to protect both sides of the field. When you move the ball quickly, you have to lock yourself out and make your (defensive) decisions quicker, and then mistakes happen. Then you find open players.”

The Zags’ offense stalled in the first half with Ejim on the bench. In the second half, the Zags had one of their better offensive halves of the season.

Gonzaga led 32-27 at halftime. Despite limited minutes due to foul trouble, Ejim had 16 points in the first half.

The ball didn’t “stuck” as the Zags ran their offense in the final two quarters – even when the Eagles left one player behind and tried to guard the other four Bulldogs with five players.

The long-distance game got rolling in the third quarter when O’Connor made three 3-pointers and Turner had two, giving Gonzaga a 51-35 lead.

EWU had no answer.

“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.”

Fortier was pleased that her team responded to a challenge that she and her co-workers presented to the team.

“We played great in parts, but not the whole game,” 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.”

The Zags’ largest lead was 79-49 when Turner hit Gonzaga’s 12th three-pointer. The Bulldogs made 12 of 24 from beyond the arc, and Turner and O’Connor shot 9 of 15 from distance.

Turner had 19 points, five rebounds and three assists and O’Connor added 18 points, four rebounds and four assists.

EWU’s leading scorer, Peyton Howard, collided with Gonzaga’s Christabel Osarobo with 1:22 left. Howard landed face first on the ground and broke a tooth. She then made an emergency visit to the dentist.

Howard led the Eagles with 15 points, and Jaecy Eggers and Alexis Pettis each had 10 off the bench.

It was Gonzaga’s first home game in 23 days. The Zags hit the road this week to open West Coast Conference play, starting Thursday in San Francisco and followed by San Diego on Saturday.

NAIA Warner Pacific visits EWU on Monday at 6 p.m

Gleason was unhappy that her team missed some opportunities.

“Our inability to make layups and free throws,” Gleason said. “We would look really good…and honestly not hit the easy shot.”

• Fortier announced Saturday that redshirt forward Lauren Whittaker (New Zealand) is out for the season due to knee surgery on Wednesday.

Whittaker arrived at GU in January after graduating from high school. She had to take advantage of her redshirt season.

It’s likely Whittaker will qualify for a medical redshirt. She hasn’t played yet this season but was considered a likely starter to complement Ejim.