Jayden Taylor leads shorthanded Butler to gutsy win over BYU in Battle 4 Atlantis tourney

Lopsided losses like the one the Butler men's basketball team experienced Wednesday against Tennessee can have lingering effects, but the Bulldogs bounced back for a 75-70 Thanksgiving Day victory over BYU in the consolation round of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament.

DJ Hughes left the game midway through the first half with a head injury, bringing the already shorthanded Bulldogs to just eight healthy players. Jayden Taylor led Butler with 20 points. Eric Hunter Jr. added 19 points

Here's three reasons why Butler pulled out a win against BYU.

Jayden Taylor catches fire, Eric Hunter Jr. finishes strong

Junior guard Chuck Harris led Butler in scoring each of the last two seasons. With Jayden Taylor's breakout during the first two games of the B4A Tournament, it's unlikely Harris will accomplish that feat again. Taylor's developed into Butler's best shot maker with deadly range from deep and a wide array of ways to score around the basket.

The Indianapolis native caught fire in the second half. His 3-pointer ended BYU's 12-0 run out of halftime. After the Cougars took the lead, Taylor answered again, draining another 3. Taylor's tough turnaround jumper in the paint extended the 'Dogs lead to three. After a Gideon George dunk, Taylor created space with a step-back and drained another 3, letting out his emotion with a roar after the ball ripped through the net.

"I thought Jayden hit some timely shots for us and I thought he finished well in transition, we all did a pretty decent job of that tonight," Butler coach Thad Matta said. "He didn't force a lot of things. He sort of let it come to him and that's something we've been working with him on.

"We're a team where I don't know who it's going to be each night, but happy when that happens."

The 6-5 guard appears to be growing into the go-to perimeter scorer the Bulldogs need. Eric Hunter Jr. provided clutch shooting from 3 and the free-throw line down the stretch.

Points in the paint and free throws

One game after facing a long and athletic Tennessee team, Butler faced much less resistance from BYU when attacking the basket. Almost all the work inside came from Butler's guards as, once again, center Manny Bates dealt with foul trouble for long stretches of the first half.

Hunter Jr. drove and finished with floaters. Simas Lukosius used his start-stop ability to get by defenders and score. Hunter Jr. finished with 19 points. Lukosius added 14 points.

Bates stayed out of foul trouble in the second half. He slammed home a lob from Chuck Harris with 33 seconds left, sealing the win for the Bulldogs. Bates finished with 14 points and three rebounds.

One of Butler's biggest deficiencies on offense was its inability to draw trips to the line. Against BYU, the guards' aggressiveness generated 16 free throw attempts and Butler shot an impressive 12-of-16 (75%) from the stripe. Hunter Jr. went 4-of-6. Lukosius went 5-of-6.

Matta said he had to take a timeout early in the second half as BYU mounted its comeback. He wanted his team to refocus. With the way they finished against the Cougars, Matta's message landed home to his players.

"I did not like the way we started the second half and it was reminding me of last night," Matta said. "But as I told these guys, I don't think we're playing our best basketball yet and that excites me.

"As long as these guys stay tuned in to what we're teaching and stay tuned in to the attention to detail of things, I think we've got a chance to have a really good basketball team."

Connor Turnbull making presence felt inside

Butler freshman Connor Turnbull had been relegated to mop-up duty in Butler's previous games, but with DJ Hughes unavailable, Matta turned to the 6-10 center in the first half.

Turnbull is still raw and needs to add strength. He missed an open 3 and got the ball ripped away from him as he attempted to grab a rebound. But the Minnesota native showed glimpses of his defensive ability and shot-altering skill. On one possession midway through the first, Turnbull blocked Rudi Williams, repositioned himself after Atiki Ally Atiki grabbed an offensive rebound and blocked Ally Atiki, knocking the ball off the Cougar and giving the ball back to the Bulldogs.

If Bates' foul trouble continues to be an issue and Hughes has to miss extended time, Turnbull showed he can be trusted to play extended minutes off the bench.

"I thought Connor Turnbull came in and really did a tremendous job because it was kind of obvious where they're going with the basketball for 40 minutes," Matta said. "He had the play with a couple of blocks there and had a couple good looks at the basket. That was great to see for him."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler basketball: Jayden Taylor leads shorthanded Butler to gutsy win