Two games into the season, Kerwin Walton found himself out of the Texas Tech basketball team's rotation.

As Grant McCasland was searching for some cohesion, Walton was given a short leash in the Red Raiders' first few games.

Walton's offensive abilities weren't the issue. A career 40% 3-pointer shooter, Walton could provide the outside shooting touch the Red Raiders lacked in their initial contests. The problem? Defensive lapses, which made putting Walton on the floor an issue.

Following the Did Not Play-Coach's Decision, Walton played sparingly against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Villanova. A minute here, a few seconds there.

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It wasn't until game five, against Northern Iowa in the Bahamas, that Walton made himself unbenchable.

In Texas Tech's comeback win over the Panthers, Walton was the linchpin in a lineup that featured four of Tech's five starters, outscoring UNI by 16 in the final 9:44 for the victory.

Since then, Walton's continued to be a key piece to the puzzle. Improvements on defense kept him on the floor, which led to the senior's best offensive showing of his career Wednesday night.

Walton sank all four of his 3-point attempts in the first half, finishing with a career-high six triples in Texas Tech's 87-58 win over Omaha in United Supermarkets Arena. He also set a new career mark with a 22-point effort.

"Honestly, it's not a surprise," Joe Toussaint said. "He's just a guy that's always in the gym, my locker buddy. We're all confident in his shot and what he does."

McCasland said last week that Walton's playing time is determined by how well he performs on the defensive end. It's been a point of emphasis for him since not seeing the floor against San Jose State.

"I'm just focused on playing hard, especially on the defensive end," Walton said. "That's going to help me get going a little bit. And I know I'm confident in my shot. That kind of just comes natural to me. But my focus is really on the defensive end, to just play hard in general."

Walton said he's trying to be the best 3-and-D guy (someone who can knock down shots and be tough on defense) that he can be. Players who can score are fine. Those who can score and stop the other team's best player? That's someone to lean on. He was that someone against the Mavericks.

"Our ability to guard one on one, take some pride in individually guarding and not fouling was a huge part, and honestly I thought the guy that set the tone for us was actually Kerwin, when he came in the game," McCasland said. "I think that led to him playing great offensively. It wasn't the other way around."

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The Red Raiders led 5-4 when Walton checked into the game with 17:04 remaining in the first half. In about three minutes of action, Walton had an assist, hit a 3 and forced a steal on the defensive end that sent Tech off to the races for the 29-point win.

Toussaint and McCasland each pointed to Walton's defense on Omaha's leading scorer Frankie Fidler as a key component for the victory.

"Fidler is one of those guys that, he gets in a rhythm and feels comfortable, he can take a game over and make hard shots," McCasland said. "And Kerwin made it hard on him and knocked the ball out of his hands. We got a loose ball and I thought, OK, now we're playing. Like that was the energy we needed. I thought his energy defensively was the difference."

McCasland told Walton that, if he can be relied on on defense, his playing time would come. They've held up their end of the bargain, as has Walton.

"He knows I'm a good scorer," Walton said. "Right now, he just wants to see me play defense and prove myself to him that I belong out there and I can play hard and play smart. My main focus was just playing to the best of my abilities and knowing what I can do."

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Defense helps Kerwin Walton carve out expanded role for Texas Tech basketball