WNBA playoffs 2022: No. 6 Wings stun No. 3 Sun, 89-79, to force deciding Game 3 home in Dallas

It was the classic "win-or-go home" phrase bestowed on the Dallas Wings in an elimination Game 2 on Sunday. And they went with the first in a stunning 89-79 win against the No. 3 Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.

The No. 6 seed will also get the second by default and go home for a winner-take-all Game 3 under the new WNBA playoff format approved last offseason. That game will be played Wednesday (9 p.m. ET on ESPN) with a trip to the semifinals on the line.

It is the first playoff win for the Wings since 2009, when they were the Detroit Shock. They became the second team in playoff history to lose by at least 25 points (25 in Game 1) and then win the next game by double-digits, per ESPN.

Connecticut trailed by as many as 31 points at the start of the fourth quarter, but made it a close game with a 22-2 run over 6:11 of game time. Dallas head coach Vickie Johnson took a timeout at 1:46 left, her team clutching the 86-73 lead. Teaira McCowan put back an offensive rebound and rookie Veronica Burton answered a Sun layup with a 3-pointer to go up 14 at 1:09 and stay in the playoffs.

The Wings led by 15 through one quarter against a title favorite in the Sun, a franchise that has come close to titles in previous seasons but is still without a trophy. It was a 16-point lead at half as Connecticut found its offense shooting 50%. But the Wings came out just as strong in the third quarter and led by 29 heading into the fourth quarter.

It's been a lopsided set of Games 2 so far. The No. 2 Chicago Sky bounced back from its loss to crush the Liberty by a record 38 points. The reigning champion Sky will also have to win on the road in a deciding Game 3 to advance to the semifinals. The winner of that series will face the Wings-Sun winner in the semifinals.

Kayla Thornton paced the Wings and broke her previous career-high of three 3-pointers in a single game. She was 8-of-12 overall and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc for 20 points, five rebounds and four assists.

How the Wings won Game 2

Johnson went with a smaller lineup in Game 2, plugging the 6-foot-3 Isabelle Harrison in for 6-foot-7 center McCowan. The Wings scored the first seven points of the game and hit 4-of-7 from beyond the arc to go up, 22-7, into the second quarter. Their defense, which ranked ninth in efficiency in the regular season, stepped up as the Sun went 3-of-13 (1-of-6 from 3) in the first 10 minutes.

Connecticut cut it to 13 on a Jonquel Jones and-1 at 7:41 of the third. Dallas answered with 3-pointers by Thornton and Burton, back-to-back buckets by Harrison and a final bucket by Thornton. Allisha Gray and Marina Mabrey each had two assists in the stretch.

The 12-0 run put Dallas up, 62-37, and proved crucial when the Sun mounted their late comeback.

The Wings are still without their leading scorer in Arike Ogunbowale, who could return for the semifinals. Thornton paced the Wings and broke her previous career-high of three 3-pointers in a single game. She was 8-of-12 overall and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc for 20 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Gray added 15 with eight assists, five rebounds and three of the team's eight steals. Mabrey had 14 and McCowan had 17 in 23 minutes off the bench. They were 48% from the field, 11-of-26 (42.3%) from 3 and 6-of-9 from the line. In Game 1, they went 5-of-20 from range and a rough 11-of-19 at the free-throw line.

Only one Sun starter reached double digits compared to four in the first go-around. Jonquel Jones had 20 and nine rebounds. Brionna Jones had 20 off the bench and Dijonai Carrington chipped in 13, many of them late to bring the Sun in contention.

What to watch in Game 3

The crowd support could make a difference in both of the series that have gone to a Game 3. It is the first time the WNBA playoffs are in 2-1 format for the best-of-three. When the league was divided into conferences, it was a 1-1-1. Travel would make that incredibly difficult in the current top-eight format.

The largest issue for the Sun on Sunday was they fell behind early and nothing was falling. Ultimately it did them in as the Wings kept their foot down. Connecticut will need to find ways to get easy shots early, and the best way would be to have the 6-foot-6 reigning MVP Jones involved. She didn't make either field goal in the first quarter and scored 15 of her 20 in the second half.

DeWanna Bonner scored all nine of her points in the first half.

Sun vs. Wings series schedule

Game 1: Sun 93, Wings 68

Game 2: Wings 89, Sun 79

Game 3: Wednesday, Connecticut at Dallas, 9 p.m. on ESPN