For the USF women's basketball team, what happened in Vegas really did stay in Vegas.
The Bulls lost both games in the WCBA event last week in Las Vegas, including a 33-point loss to UCLA. But rather than let that bad taste linger, they came home Thursday night and produced a convincing 85-72 win over Duke.
"Since we came back from Vegas, we really dialed in in and we told them there, after the UCLA, you know what, we're gonna come home and we're going to get Duke. We're going to get Duke at home," interim head coach Michele Woods Baxter said.
"You know what? And they believed me, and they bought into everything we did. And it's nice to get a signature win, ladies,"
That was a signature with a flourish, particularly from Stefani Ingram. She had a career-high 27 points, including 21 in the first half as the Bulls knocked off Duke for the second straight year.
After USF assumed the lead with 7:22 left in the first quarter, the Bulls never gave it up. They led by as many as 21 points before settling on the final margin. South Florida hit 10 of 13 field goal attempts in the first quarter for .769 percent . That is the best shooting percentage an opponent has posted against Duke in program history.
USF was buoyed by the return of senior forward Carla Brito, the American Preseason Player of the Year. Brito missed the Bulls' first four games of the season with what was described as a lower-body injury.
"She's been she's been going in and out a little bit of practice these last couple days. We were able to get her in full practice, full blown, so we knew that if she was comfortable, we were going to make sure we got her some minutes tonight," Woods-Baxter said.
"When Stefani and I were talking before Carla came back, and she's like, 'Coach, even if she's on the floor, I don't care if she doesn't do anything. As long as she's on the floor, we're going to be a better team.'"
The Bulls improved to 3-2 with the win.
USF will travel to the Bahamas to face Minnesota on November 24 in the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship.