The Connecticut Sun defeated the Minnesota Lynx in two games during the regular season.

After the stakes were raised in Minnesota on Sunday, they defeated them again in a thriller, 73-70, to take a 1-0 lead in the WNBA semifinals. Alyssa Thomas missed an assist on a triple-double as Connecticut’s defense upset the league’s best 3-point shooting team during the regular season.

The Sun struck the first blow late in the first quarter, then recovered from a Lynx surge in the third quarter to secure the win thanks to the strength of their defense.

After a back-and-forth first few minutes, the Sun ended the first quarter with a 9-2 run and took a 21-14 lead in the second quarter. The Lynx closed the deficit to 42-38 by halftime and took a 24-15 lead in the third quarter to a 62-57 lead heading into the final stanza of the game. At this point the game had already produced seven draws and ten lead changes.

And the sun wasn’t ready yet. They held the Lynx scoreless for the first 4:21 minutes of the fourth quarter and retook the lead at 65-64. From then on, the game continued as an exciting battle with a total of 13 lead changes before the Sun took the lead for good at 69-68. Connecticut’s defense continued to throttle Minnesota’s offense, holding the Lynx to eight points in the fourth quarter.

The game fittingly ended with Napheesa Collier missing a game-winning 3-point attempt at the buzzer as DeWanna Bonner covered her on the left wing.

Four Sun players scored in double figures in a balanced offense led by Marina Mabrey. Mabrey scored 20 points, five rebounds and three assists and shot 6 of 11 from 3-point range.

Thomas posted 17 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and three steals on 8-of-12 shooting attempts from the floor. She capped the game with a catch-and-shoot jumper from the free throw line over the outstretched hands of Alanna Smith with 11.7 seconds left.

That basket gave Minnesota one last chance to tie the game. The Lynx called a timeout and prepared an inbounds play in advance. But they didn’t fare well against Connecticut’s swarming defense. Collier’s final 3-pointer hit the backboard wide just before the final buzzer sounded.

The 3-point miss was Minnesota’s 15th on 5-of-20 (25%) shooting from distance. Bridget Carleton (3 of 6 from 3, 17 points) was the only Lynx player to make more than one 3-point attempt. Collier, Kayla McBride and Smith combined to shoot 1 of 11 shots from long range. Minnesota led the league in 3-point shooting during the regular season, averaging 38%.

Collier led the Lynx with 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block on the same day she was named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. The Lynx were strong on defense, holding the Suns to 41.3% shooting from the field. But Connecticut did well from long range where Minnesota couldn’t, going 9 of 22 (40.9%) from long range, led by Mabrey’s six three-pointers.

The Lynx and Sun will continue the best-of-five series with Game 2 in Minnesota on Tuesday. The winner of the series will face the winner between the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty in the WNBA finals.