New York Liberty Lead Connecticut Sun From Dawn to Dusk, One Win From Finals

The New York Liberty swiped back semifinal momentum from the Connecticut Sun by leading wire-to-wire in Game 3 to move one game closer to a WNBA Finals bid.

UNCASVILLE-Many across the Northeast were forced indoors by torrential downpours on Friday. But the New York Liberty brought the precipitation inside Mohegan Sun Arena.

The Liberty made it rain in the finest fashion in the third game of their WNBA semifinal series against the Connecticut Sun, taking back control of the best-of-series with a 92-81 victory in Uncasville. Breanna Stewart lived up to her newly-restored MVP reputation with a 25-point, 11-rebound double-double to lead a wire-to-wire victory. Jonquel Jones was right next to her with 10 points and 11 boards, setting a new franchise record for most hauled in during a single postseason. 

New York led, appropriately, from dawn to dusk against the Sun, taking a permanent lead on its very first possession via a Sabrina Ionescu triple. A trio of threes from Ionescu allowed her to make her own history (most successful three-pointers in a single postseason) and gave the Liberty an early 13-8 lead. The advantage widened even further when they started to penetrate the paint, as they closed the final five-plus minutes on a 24-8 run, earning one more franchise record in the process (most points in a period).

Though the Liberty failed to "win" any of the final three periods, they never let Connecticut get any closer than nine, a welcome turnaround after too many one-sided affairs in the regular season became nailbiters. Uncasville was no stranger to such thrillers, as the Liberty's pair of prior victories at Mohegan Sun Arena came by a combined 13 points. 

New York now leads the series 2-1 and will have a chance to clinch its first WNBA Finals berth since 2002 on Sunday afternoon at Mohegan Sun (3 p.m. ET, ABC).