Griffiths refuses to let the Monarchs lose

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When the Sacramento Monarchs seemed ready to lose their lead and their heads in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, Yolanda Griffith slid into her coach's chair during a timeout.

Whatever instructions or encouragement she barked at her teammates, they worked — mostly because Griffith motivated herself to another big game.

Griffith had 19 points and 11 rebounds with relentless inside play, and the Monarchs moved to the brink of their first championship Sunday with a 66-55 victory over the Connecticut Sun.

After being named to the All-WNBA team earlier in the day, Griffith played with the relentless energy that's driven her through seven seasons. She dominated the paint with five offensive rebounds and nonstop defensive energy, and her final basket with 3:24 left stalled the Sun's last-gasp rally.

Kara Lawson scored 16 points and hit six free throws in the final minute for the Monarchs, and Nicole Powell tied a WNBA Finals record with four 3-pointers. But Griffith was the difference — and even after putting the Monarchs up 2-1 in the best-of-five series, she was still smoldering.

"Even though we're home, (and) I know their backs are against the wall right now, even though we're up (2-1), I should be happy. Am I? I don't know," Griffith said. "I mean, I'm just not satisfied, because I know we can play better ball. Tuesday, I hope it's the game. We're waiting for everybody to step up and bring it."

Game 4 is Tuesday night at Arco Arena, where the Monarchs hope to wrap up the best season in franchise history with a title. DeMya Walker proclaimed as much to the crowd afterward, screaming: "We need one more!"

Griffith's teammates largely struggled on offense with 17-of-52 shooting, but the Monarchs made just seven turnovers and survived the Sun's final rally with their signature defense, which frustrated Connecticut into 16 turnovers and an afternoon of terrible shooting.

The Sun might be running out of energy and healthy players, but they still believe they're capable of winning a series that's been close in the final minutes of all three games.

"I guess I'm not much of a prognosticator, because I thought we would play our best game of the series today, and we played our worst," said Connecticut coach Mike Thibault, who wrote a series of unflattering statistics on the locker room chalkboard after the game. "They're disruptive (defensively), but by this point in the series, we should be able to better handle it."