Paige Bueckers' teammate reveals how fellow UConn players helped her end drought
12/16/2024 10:54 AM
The UConn women's basketball team bounced back after the Huskies suffered their first loss of the season against Notre Dame defeating Georgetown 79-44 in their Big East opener Sunday at the XL Center. While Paige Bueckers led the No. 2 Huskies with 24 points, it was a key contribution from freshman Morgan Cheli that shifted momentum early in the game.
UConn struggled at the start, missing their first five three-point attempts. Bueckers, coming off a quiet start in the first quarter, did not attempt a shot for more than seven minutes. It wasn't until Cheli sank a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the first quarter that UConn snapped its long-range shooting drought.
"When I caught it, I noticed she was backed off, so I was like, 'Yeah, I'm shooting this,'" Cheli said, as reported by Emily Adams of the Hartford Courant. "But the confidence that my teammates instill in me and their trust in me to take that shot was big, and (I was) just trying to keep the energy up and the momentum."
UConn women’s basketball finds it groove later in the game
Cheli's shot sparked the Huskies' offense, which found its rhythm in the second quarter. UConn went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc in the period, with Bueckers and freshman Sarah Strong leading a 14-2 run that helped the Huskies take a commanding lead into halftime. Bueckers ended the half with 13 points, two blocks and two steals, while Strong was close to a double-double with 11 points and eight rebounds.
Cheli also led UConn with three steals in just nine first-half minutes. UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma praised Cheli's versatility, saying her high activity level adds a unique dimension to the team.
"Morgan did what she normally does in practice, and that is she's able to impact the game," Auriemma said. "She does so many good things to help us, and she's going to get more minutes as we move along here."
Defensively, UConn stifled Georgetown, holding the Hoyas to just six points in the second quarter and limiting Big East scoring leader Kelsey Ransom to seven points on 2-for-9 shooting. The Huskies capitalized on 22 Georgetown turnovers, scoring 30 points off their miscues and recording 15 steals, with Cheli and Bueckers each logging three.
UConn remains undefeated in Big East play since February 2023. The Huskies next face Iowa State on Tuesday at home. Georgetown will play Maryland Eastern Shore on Dec. 28.
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