UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- For the second consecutive season, the Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx will meet in a winner-take-all matchup in Minneapolis after the Sun rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit and beat the Lynx 92-82 at Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday.
Five Sun players scored in double figures, led by Ty Harris with 20 points. In addition to Harris, DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas each scored 18 points and had eight rebounds. Thomas also had 11 assists. DiJonai Carrington and Marina Mabrey chipped in 15 and 10 points, respectively.
Game 5 is Tuesday in Minneapolis.
"Tonight's effort is not going to be good enough in a Game 5," Sun coach Stephanie White said. "At this point, you know each other inside and out that it's about players making plays. It's about not being denied and finding something deep inside of you that allows you to come out on top."
Napheesa Collier led the Lynx with 29 points and 13 rebounds. She's the first player in Lynx history to have consecutive 20-point and 10-rebound games in the playoffs.
"We have to get back to what got us in this position in the first place, which is our defense," Collier said. "We're not happy with how we came out the past two games. We have to go home and defend our home court. We're both playing for our lives, so we have to play with that level of intensity."
Starting her first game of the series, Harris shot 7-of-11 from the floor and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Harris played a total of 13 minutes and scored zero points in the first three games of the series while recovering from an ankle injury she suffered in the first round against the Indiana Fever. White decided late Saturday night to give Harris the start.
"I think it was probably about midnight last night when we made the decision," White said with a laugh. "I felt like with Ty, we knew we needed to get her more minutes. It's not easy to be in a position coming back from injury, coming off the bench where you're cold. It wasn't really giving her the best opportunity for success."
White told Harris she would start at shootaround on Sunday morning. Harris, who started 38 games during the regular season, normally takes a pre-game nap. Sunday's was filled with more tossing and turning than was typical.
"I was anxious to get here," Harris said. "But it is just basketball. We're fortunate to be in a position playing championship basketball. Everybody knows how it goes to feel that pressure."
After trailing by seven at the half, the Sun took a five-point lead into the fourth quarter. Prior to Sunday's win, the Sun were 0-15 in postseason games where they trailed by seven or more points at halftime.
"I don't think anyone in that locker room was ready to go their separate ways," Bonner said. "We enjoy being around each other. We've been around each other for a long time. We've added some pieces, but the majority of our core has been together for years. We just buckled down and was like, 'This is it.' Twenty minutes and we're going to put it all out there."
Minnesota and Connecticut split the first two semifinal games in Minnesota, with the Sun taking Game 1 and the Lynx Game 2.
"The atmosphere when we were there for the first two games was insane," Bonner said. "So I can only imagine what it'll be like in a Game 5. We know that. I wouldn't tell my team anything different. We just gotta focus and lock in on each other. They're great fans. They're championship fans, where they've won multiple championships and are hungry for another one. We know it's going to be crazy, but we know what it feels like."
The Lynx and Sun played a decisive Game 3 in Minnesota during the first round of the 2023 WNBA playoffs. The Sun won that game 90-75 before falling to the New York Liberty in the semifinals.
The Liberty, who eliminated the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces earlier on Sunday, await the winner in a best-of-five WNBA Finals that starts Thursday in Brooklyn.