The Shippensburg University men's basketball team dropped its season opener to No. 3 West Liberty, 121-59 in the West Liberty Tip Off Tournament in Academic, Sports and Recreation Complex.
 
West Liberty (1-0) validated its preseason No. 3 national ranking by opening the game with a 28-0 scoring run in the first six minutes of the game. The Hilltoppers shot 11-of-17 from the field in that span and 5-of-9 from behind the arc.
 
Graduate Andrew Recchia put Shippensburg (0-1) on the board with a three-pointer, but West Liberty continued its offense surge to a 37-9 advantage at the midway point of the first half.
 
Redshirt-freshman Markus Frank found some momentum for the Raiders, scoring eight points in five minutes. Threes by junior Michael Dunn (Washington, Pa./Trinity) and sophomore Trey Martin cut into the lead, but the Hilltoppers pulled to a 67-29 advantage by halftime.
 
Frank led the Raiders with 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting in his collegiate debut while Martin set a career high with 10 points. Recchia tallied a career-high six assists.

SU continues play in the West Liberty Tip Off Tournament with a matchup against Wheeling at 6 p.m. tomorrow at the Academic, Sports and Recreation Complex.