Technical difficulties forced Iowa play-by-play man Gary Dolphin and color analyst Bobby Hansen to call part of the game on a landline telephone during the first half.

Iowa’s Melsahn Basabe has come to play for Iowa tonight.

The 6-foot-7 junior has seven points, five rebounds and four blocks for the Hawkeyes. He has paced Iowa to a 40-30 lead with 11:50 left in the game.

Mike Gesell leads with 12 points.

CANCUN, Mexico — Iowa knocked down four 3-pointers and held Western Kentucky below 29 percent shooting from the floor to take a 30-22 lead tonight in the Cancun Challenge.

Iowa assistants Andrew Francis and Sherman Dillard, head coach Fran McCaffery and assistant Kirk Speraw watch the game Tuesday night at the Cancun Challenge. Iowa led Western Kentucky 30-22 at halftime.

Iowa jumped out to a 17-8 lead after Mike Gesell hit the fourth 3-pointer of the first half. The Hilltoppers cut their deficit to 20-16, but Iowa stretched its lead to 10 points with six straight scoring possessions. Melsahn Basabe started the run with breakaway dunk. Devyn Marble followed with a layup. Zach McCabe hit three free throws in the sequence, Basabe sank a free throw and Aaron White capped it with a two-handed dunk.

Gesell leads the Hawkeyes with 10 points, while McCabe added nine. Basabe came off the bench for 12 minutes and grabbed five rebounds and blocked two shots. Eric May added four points and two rebounds in 10 minutes.

Western Kentucky committed 12 fouls and shot just 28.6 percent from the floor. Jamal Crook led the Hilltoppers with seven points.