CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Southern Utah University women's basketball team celebrated senior night in impressive fashion, beating the Portland State Vikings 76-64. The Thunderbirds were led by their graduating seniors all night long.

Southern Utah honored three seniors, forward Emma Weinreich, forward Donna Koerber and guard Ashleigh Munns. Both Munns and Koerber got to start, while Weinreich watched from the sidelines due to a season ending injury suffered early in the season.

Despite not being able to play, Weinreich's presence played an important role for the Thunderbirds, as her teammates chose to dedicate the game to her.  

Playing her final game in Centrum Arena, senior Ashley Munns started off the game in a big way, connecting on an early three point attempt for the Thunderbirds' first basket. Munns continued her hot shooting by scoring eight of the Thunderbirds' first 12 points.

Southern Utah followed Munns' inspired play and ended the first quarter with an 18-12 lead.

“Knowing it was my last game, I just felt so relaxed out there,” said Munns. “I think what really helped was that we were all celebrating each other's successes.”

Early in the second quarter, Donna Koerber got on the board, converting a free throw and grabbing two offensive rebounds. Known for her gritty playing style, Koerber's tough defense kept Portland State from executing in the post.

Of her strong play, Koerber commented, “I was just thinking in my head, 'This is my ball and I'm not going to let anyone take it.'”

Southern Utah took a 14 point lead into the half.

In the second half, the Thunderbirds received contributions from more than just the seniors. Freshman Dari Frandsen and Bre Reid helped open up a 20-point Southern Utah lead.

Despite the large deficit, the Vikings refused to roll over. Portland State spent most of the fourth quarter running a full-court press, which they used to cut the Thunderbird's 22 point lead to just 10 points with 2:30 left in the game.

When it appeared the Vikings were back in the game for good, the Thunderbird seniors rose to the occasion again. First, Koerber took a charge under the basket on a Portland State possession that would've cut the lead to single digits. On the ensuing possession, Ashley Munns hit another three pointer, her seventh of the night, to push the lead back to 13.

The final point scored of the night was a free throw by Koerber.

“It was a great night, a great way to end the regular season and gain some momentum going into the tournament,” said Southern Utah head coach Chris Boettcher. “I couldn't be happier for Donna (Koerber) and Ashleigh (Munns).”

Ashleigh Munns finished with 26 points on 8-14 shooting. Donna Koerber finished with six points to go with seven rebounds and three assists.

With the win, the Thunderbirds move into tenth place in the Big Sky Conference. They will face off against the Sacramento State Hornets on Monday afternoon at 4:35 pm in Reno, Nevada. The game can be heard over the airwaves on KSUU 91.1 and viewed online at WatchBigSky.com.