Harry Wessels has played in 85 games for Saint Mary's in three seasons and has not made a start. He played nine minutes against Gonzaga at UCU Pavilion on Saturday night and finished with two points and three rebounds.
 
And yet, Wessels became the Gaels' most important player in the final minute of their stirring 62-58 win over the Zags. And in turn, the 7-foot-1 center from Australia said that game might have been the most important for him in his college career.
 
"It may be the first time where (Mitchell) Saxen's fouled out and I really had to step up in a close game," Wessels in a postgame session with reporters. He added that he "just kept trusting my work. I feel like I've kept getting better during the season. … I proved (a lot) to myself."
 
Saxen had nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds but he fouled out with 4:22 remaining. Enter Wessels. With the score 58-58 with 50 seconds left, Ben Gregg fouled Wessels on a jump hook.
 
Wessels went to the foul line with the game in the balance. He understandably was nervous getting ready for those foul shots.
 
"The first thing I thought of was they might be the biggest ones of my life, so I probably should make these," Wessels said.
 
Make them he did, putting the Gaels ahead to stay. Wessels has bumped his free-throw percentage from 61.8 as a freshman to 77.4 as a sophomore to 84.6 (33-for-39) as a junior.
 
"It's just reps, isn't it? There's no real secret to it," Wessels said in explaining his improvement at the line. "There's always an emphasis at the end of the year, What can you get better at? You can always get better at shooting. You can always get better at free throws, so in the offseason, that's always a big thing that I work on.
"And then also in season, that's something you've to keep sharp as well."
 
On Gonzaga's ensuing possession, forward/center Graham Ike, who scored a game-high 24 points, got the ball on the right side. Wessels guarded the left-hander as he maneuvered his way across the lane and went up for a short shot. Wessels rejected it. And even better for the Gaels: Wessels' second block of the night went out of bounds off Ike.
 
The Zags would get two shot attempts in the final seven seconds – misses from beyond the arc by guard Ryan Nembhard and Ike – before Jordan Ross went 2-for-2 from the line to clinch the victory for the Gaels (20-3, 10-0 WCC).
 
Back to Wessels. His role is as the backup to Saxen, a two-time first-team All-WCC center who was the conference's Defensive Player of the Year last season.
 
"Harry just needs minutes," SMC head coach Randy Bennett said. "I've known that for a while. Saxen's an all-conference center and so Harry's minutes aren't as much as he probably needs. …
"I think it messes with your head for players if you get short minutes. … It can mess with your head and you can let it take your confidence – and that's what you can't do."
 
Bennett added that Wessels "doesn't let that stuff shake his confidence like he has a little bit in the past. We needed him tonight and he was really good."
 
Wessels believes the Gaels' success stems from the trust the players have in each other and in their coaches.
 
"Everyone's just bought in and everyone just wants the team to do as best as it can," he said. "We have a coaching staff that believes in each and every one of us.
"And if something happens and another guy has to step up, we have complete, 100 percent faith in that guy to do so."
 
Defense and rebounding: The Gaels owned a 40-34 edge over Gonzaga on the glass and held a team that came into Saturday second in the nation in points per game at 89.6 to nearly 32 points below its average.
 
As of Sunday, Saint Mary's ranked third in the nation in rebounding margin (plus-11 per game) and seventh in fewest points allowed per game (60.8).
 
"I'm a big believer in 'Get good at something,' " Bennett said, "and so we've really tried to be good at rebounding and making it hard for people to score and that's kind of where we hang our hat. …
"We are what we are."
 
The Gaels have allowed more than 60 points only once in their 10 conference games. That came in their 80-75 win at Washington State on Jan. 25.