Takeaways: Tennessee Shoots Past Longwood in First Round of 2022 NCAA Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS -- Longwood held Tennessee's offense at bay for the first nine minutes and 11 seconds of the first half on Thursday. 

Finally, Kennedy Chandler hit his first basket of the day -- a 3-pointer to follow a John Fulkerson free throw -- and then the Vols took off. 

Tennessee launched on a pair of vicious first-half runs, one 13-2 and the next 13-0. 

The pace was good enough to spear the 3-seed Vols past the 14-seed Lancers 88-56 in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. 

Santiago Vescovi led UT with 18 points on six threes, tying Chris Lofton for most Tennessee threes in an NCAA Tournament game. 

Josiah-Jordan James had 17 points and nine rebounds, while John Fulkerson had 15 points and two boards. 

Zakai Zeigler rounded out the Vols' double-digit scoring with 10 points, six in the second half. 

Here are more takeaways from Thursday: 

Fulkerson sparks before offense comes alive

Fulkerson darted toward the rim, chasing a silky smooth pass from Chandler. 

Then he collected the ball in stride and rose for a two-handed slam, giving Chandler an early assist on the day. 

It was Fulkerson's fifth basket in six minutes, marking 10 early points for the sixth-year senior. 

Fulkerson went 4-of-4 early to lead the Vols, as he was their only offensive answer after Josiah-Jordan James notched the first basket of the afternoon. 

Then came Chandler's three, which kickstarted a previously idle offense. 

Vescovi nailed three triples at one point in the first half to go 4-of-6 from deep, while Tennessee made seven of its last nine shots from beyond the arc before the break. 

James bookended the half, as he hit a buzzer-beating three for a 54-29 lead going into the locker room. 

The Vols nailed 20 of 30 shots from the floor in the first half, with an 8-for-13 clip from three. 

UT maintained the approach after the break, shooting 54 percent from the field and 55 percent from deep in the second frame.