After a frustrating loss to Notre Dame, UConn desperately needed a bounce-back win, and the Huskies made sure not to fall short on effort. But the pressure was palpable early in their Big East opener against Georgetown when they missed their first five three-point attempts. Enter freshman Morgan Cheli, who wasn’t about to let the slow start rattle her. However, Cheli’s performance, while promising, wasn’t enough to escape head coach Geno Auriemma’s constructive criticism.

“She just played to her true self today,” Auriemma said in the post-game conference. “There’s a lot more she can do, but the fouls have to stop. She had four today, and that’s not acceptable. That’ll give her more minutes.” It all came after Cheli logged five points, five rebounds and three assists in her 18 minutes on court, while racking up four personal fouls, a recurring issue in her young years.

But the Huskies #23 had a showing in the game that has Geno noting the potential in her and expecting more.

In the final seconds, Cheli caught a pass from KK Arnold on the arc, and as her defender hesitated for a moment, she saw her chance. Despite the pressure, she confidently stepped back and drained the three-point shot. “When I caught it, I noticed she was backed off, so I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m shooting this,’” Cheli said. “The confidence my teammates instill in me and their trust in me to take that shot means a lot.”

That play became one of the biggest highlights of the No. 2 Huskies’ dominant 79-44 win over the Hoyas at the XL Center, extending their winning streak over Georgetown to 39 games—a streak dating back to 1993.

All of this might seem routine, but it’s worth noting that Morgan Cheli had just 10 true practices leading up to the season due to a hamstring injury. That same injury forced her to miss the team’s exhibition game on November 4th, as she wasn’t fully back to 100% by the first week of November. While her gameplay has improved since then, her foul trouble remains a significant challenge.

It wasn’t just Sunday’s game that highlighted this challenge.

Cheli, known for her high-energy and aggressive playing style, has occasionally found herself in foul trouble. In her first two games this season against USF and Boston University, she committed three fouls in each game. So far, she’s averaging an alarming eight fouls per game this regular season—a stat that hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Cheli’s physical defense and competitive mindset have always been her calling cards. In her junior season, she averaged 2.6 steals per game, showcasing her ability to disrupt opponents but also increasing her likelihood of committing fouls. When asked about her approach, Cheli shared, “I wanted to come in and bring energy, defensively and in the passing lanes, and try to create havoc on both ends of the floor. I came in with an aggressive mindset, and I’m sticking to that.”

Before Sunday’s game, Cheli was averaging 3.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in just 11.6 minutes per game. Her playing time has been limited, and Auriemma even kept her off the court entirely against No. 18 Ole Miss in the Bahamas. Despite her potential, her fouls are holding her back.

With moments like her clutch three-pointer against Georgetown, Cheli has shown flashes of brilliance, but to earn more consistent minutes, she’ll need to find a way to balance her intensity with discipline.