CANCUN, Mexico --  Wichita State won its first in-season tournament outside the State of Kansas since 1963 with a 75-63 defeat of Iowa in the championship game of the Cancun Challenge Wednesday night.

The Shockers were led in scoring by tournament MVP Cleanthony Early, who had 25 points and nine boards in the championship game, which included a 7-of-13 effort from the field and an 8-of-9 effort from the line. 

Malcolm Armstead, also a member of the all-tournament team, had 14 points to back Early, while he also dished out five assists. Armstead also had 17 points in the semifinal win against DePaul Tuesday night.

WSU led from the 17:37 mark of the second half, and held Iowa to only four field goals in the second frame, to keep the Hawkeyes at bay to claim the its first in-season tournament away from Wichita since winning the All-College Tournament in 1963 in Oklahoma City.

Aaron White led four double-digit Iowa scorers with 14 points as he made 11-of-12 free throws.

Wichita State out-shot the Hawkeyes, 41.8 percent to 26.1 percent for the game, as WSU held Iowa to 16.7 percent (4-24) in the second half.

In the second half, an Early three-point play put WSU up 40-37 on a driving layup at the 17:37 mark of the second half before a Armstead trey off a long rebound put the Shockers up 43-37. Armstead added another trey off a Shocker steal at the other end to make the lead nine, 46-37, at the 15:05 mark.

WSU held Iowa to two free throws over the first 4:55 of the first half as the Hawkeyes got their first of four second-half field goals on a dunk at the 13:51 mark. A three-pointer by Aaron White closed the gap to three at 48-45. Iowa got to within two before WSU went on a seven-point run to go back up 54-46.

Iowa would get as close as six points three times over the remainder of the second half, but WSU bested the effort and led by as many as 10 three times before a Carl Hall dunk put the exclamation mark on the lead, and put WSU up by 12 to fashion the final score, 75-63.

To open the game, Iowa took a 5-4 lead into the first media timeout on Roy Devin Marble's first three-pointer. 

Wichita State then took the lead for the first time on eight-straight Cleanthony Early points, including two free throws and two three pointers at the 11:31 mark.

Iowa closed back to within one, 14-13 on a Marble three-pointer, his second of the game, at the 11:13 mark, and went ahead before a Nick Wiggins dunk and layup put WSU back in the lead, 20-19.

Iowa went ahead with two free throws, 21-20, its ninth-straight from the line before a Josh Oglesby three put the Hawkeyes ahead 24-20. Another Oglesby trey put Iowa ahead 27-22.

Two more Iowa free throws put Iowa up six, 29-23, after a VanVleet free throw. Each team made two three-pointers over the last 1:15 of the half for a 35-33 Iowa Halftime lead.

Oglesby ended the first half with three treys, and 12 points to lead the Hawkeyes, while Early led WSU with three treys, a field goal and four free throws for 15 points.