SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) All the playing time players like Willie Caruso and Trey Wertz got as freshman last season at Santa Clara is paying off early this year.

Caruso had 22 points and 10 rebounds and Wertz scored 18 to help Santa Clara wrap up a perfect three-game homestand to start the season with a 70-62 victory over Washington State on Tuesday night.

"One of the silver linings of our situation last season is some of our young guys were really baptized through fire right out of the gate," coach Herb Sendek said. "Those guys gained some good experience. Now we've been able to add another wave of newcomers that gives us more depth than we had in the past."