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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Win and you're in.
 
What better way to celebrate senior day for the Kutztown University men's basketball team then to win the game and clinch a postseason berth. That's what's at stake when KU hosts Shippensburg University in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Division regular season finale Saturday, Feb. 29, at 3 p.m., at Keystone Arena.
 
Prior to tip, the Golden Bears (11-16 overall, 9-12 PSAC) will recognize seniors Ryan 'Boz' Bernstein (Bronx, N.Y./Marianapolis Prep) and Josh Townsend (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter). Once the handshakes and hugs are given and the pictures are taken, the duo, along with their teammates, will need to be focused and locked in as their season's depend on it.
 
A victory over the East Division champs and top-seeded Raiders (21-6, 17-4) will clinch a berth into the PSAC Tournament beginning Monday, March 2. A loss, and the season will come to an end.
 
Entering action Saturday, Kutztown sits in a three-way tie for the division's final two tournament spots, with Shepherd (13-14, 9-12) and Lock Haven (12-13, 9-12). Millersville (13-14, 10-11) is currently fourth, but can potentially fall out of the playoffs with a loss. While it's simple enough for KU, knowing that a win puts them into the postseason for the seventh straight year and a defeat knocks them out of contention, there are still plenty of seeing scenarios and battles for four teams (Shippensburg, East Stroudsburg and West Chester are locked in as seeds 1-3 respectively).
 
Some scenarios of note for Kutztown:
 
If there's a four-way tie between the teams mentioned above (at 10-12), Lock Haven is the No. 4 seed (4-2 vs. other 3, including 2-0 vs. SHEP), Shepherd is the No. 5 seed (4-2 vs. other 3), Kutztown is the No. 6 seed (2-4 vs. other 3, holds TB over MILL with what would be a win over SHIP). IF SHEP/LHU/KUTZ tie at 9-13, Lock Haven is the No. 5 seed (3-1 vs. other 2) and Shepherd is the No. 6 seed (2-2 vs. other 2).
 
Townsend, a native of Philadelphia, has been an active presence in the frontcourt each of the last three seasons. He is a four-year member of the Golden Bears and a team captain as a senior. Townsend has appeared in 89 games, starting 39 of them throughout his four years. Up to this point, he has totaled 568 points, 70 blocks and 547 rebounds, which ranks ninth all-time in program history on the glass.
 
Townsend was twice named the PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week this season. He ranks seventh in the PSAC with 7.6 rebounds per game.
 
Bernstein has played just one season in a Maroon and Gold uniform. He's played for four schools in three different states, with the latest school being PSAC foe Mansfield, before coming to Kutztown for the 2019-20 campaign. Bernstein played two seasons at Division I Maine, where he led the team in minutes, assists and steals as a sophomore. He then went to Kent State, where he redshirted, followed by one year at Mansfield and this year at KU.
 
This season, the Bronx, N.Y., native has accumulated 248 points. 104 assists, 66 rebounds and 27 steals. His 2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the PSAC and he also ranks sixth in the conference with 4.0 assists per game.
 
Follow all of the action at the links above or by visiting www.kubears.com.