No. 22/21 Tennessee used a decisive 17-1 run in the second half to take a 71-45 win over Butler in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
 
Butler will now meet BYU Thursday evening.
 
With the result, Butler falls to 3-2 on the season, while the Volunteers are now 3-1.
 
STAT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The Tennessee defense limited the Bulldogs to 32-percent shooting for the game while forcing 23 turnovers.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Tennessee scored the final 10 points of the first half to take a 28-23 halftime lead on a Zakai Ziegler three-pointer at the buzzer.
• In a game plagued by foul trouble, Butler had five different players with two fouls in the first half.
• Tennessee scored the first four points of the second half to take their then largest lead at 32-23 with 19:18 remaining; Butler responded by cutting the lead to two at 36-34 with 14:47.
• The 17-1 Tennessee run followed that put the game out of reach.
• Jayden Taylor led the Bulldogs with a game-high 18 points. He went 5-for-8 from the field and connected on four of Butler's five three-point shots. It matched his season-high.
• Taylor added a career-high four steals.
• Santiago Vescovi led Tennessee with 13 points; 11 of those points came during the key 17-1 run.
• Tennessee had three players in double figures and another two with 9 points apiece.

 
OF NOTE:

• The all-time series between Butler and Tennessee is now tied 3-3.
• The Bulldogs are now 4-3 overall in the Battle 4 Atlantis with the 2022 event being the team's third appearance.

 
UP NEXT: Butler will meet BYU on Thanksgiving Day at 6:30 p.m. BYU lost to USC, 82-76, Wednesday night. The game will air on ESPN3.