The Shepherd University Women's Soccer Team celebrate after winning the NCAA II Atlantic Regional Championship trophy last year. Courtesy photo

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Even though it lost recent consecutive conference games against East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania and West Chester University, Shepherd University has already clinched a spot in the PSAC men’s basketball tournament that begins play at campus sites on March 3.

With nine schools in both the East and West Divisions of the league, six in each of the two sections will qualify for the tournament.

Shepherd, which used a telling second half scoring spree, just defeated Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg, .81-71, to move its overall record to 15-8 and PSAC mark to 11-5, good for third place in the East Division. That game was tied at halftime.

West Chester has sprinted out to a 14-2 conference record and finds itself in first place in the East. East Stroudsburg was at 17-5 overall and in second place at 11-4 in the East Division in games through Feb. 10.

Shepherd could actually move ahead of its competition, if it betters its current 11-5 conference record. The Rams are now 15-8 overall and, with just five games remaining in the regular season, have already assured themselves of a winning season.

Fourth-place Millersville University of Pennsylvania will qualify for the tournament, as will fifth-place Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania.

Bloomsburg, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania and Kutztown University of Pennsylvania will try to find a win that could earn them the final tournament berth.

PSAC Tournament dates are March 3, 5, 8 and 9, with the earliest games all being played at campus sites. The March 9 championship game will be played on the home court of the East Division team that qualifies for the tournament’s final game.

Since joining the PSAC, Shepherd has yet to win the league’s men’s basketball championship. It was only this past December that any Rams team could claim any PSAC titles. Shepherd’s women’s soccer team gave the university its first and only conference championship. No men’s team has ever won a league title.

Shepherd’s listed graduate student and seniors will be toasted on Senior Day against Shippensburg on final home date of the regular season.

With a high enough seed, the Rams could host a PSAC Tournament game in the Butcher Center. Without a well-earned top seed, the Rams would be forced to play all of their tournament games on the road. There is no pre-determined site for the conference tournament.