Kansas State's Brendan Hausen Attributes Defense To Strong 3-Point Shooting

Kansas State guard Brendan Hausen is one of the best 3-point shooters in Big 12 basketball, ranking No. 1 in 3-pointers per game (3.1) and No. 3 in 3-point percentage (41.3%).
But even then, some of the Wildcats' losses could be attributed to their sharpshooter's inconsistency. Thankfully, Hausen rebounded against Oklahoma State with one of his best performances this season, going 5-of-5 from the arc for 18 points. The Cowboys' inability to stop the Amarillo Assassin showcased how dangerous he could be as a consistent outside threat.
Hausen said his star performance started with the defense.
"We got stops tonight, I was able to run, which always helps to free me up," Hausen said. "It was definitely nice to see the first few go in, and the bucket just gets bigger from there."
Hawkins agreed, saying the defense can determine how they control the ball on the other end. The team shot 52.2 percent from the arc Wednesday night, illustrating the positive trend in shooting from long distance. But Hawkins says it could improve even more with better transition defense.
“If our transition defense gets better, I’d feel more comfortable shooting quicker catch-and-shoot 3s,” Hawkins said. “I feel like we need to work on that. That way, our long shots and long rebounds aren’t leaking out and getting them easier transition buckets.”
These types of performances are what Kansas State needs as they continue their Big 12 play. It continues Saturday afternoon against Iowa State (17-3, 7-2 in Big 12).
Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.