UNCASVILLE, Conn. — If the final three quarters Tuesday provided signs that the Liberty’s stumbling offense might be awakening, then their first quarter Friday night made any lingering doubts seem foolish.

It wasn’t quite like their 44-point first quarter from July, which at time set the WNBA record.

The Sun still trimmed their 22-point lead to nine before the third quarter ended.

But the Liberty’s lead after 10 minutes was enough to ensure a chance at securing a spot in the finals Sunday, taking a pivotal Game 3, 92-81, and a 2-1 series lead from Connecticut at Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday.

By the time Breanna Stewart blocked a shot, tore up the court in transition and finished an and-one with 20 seconds remaining in the opening frame, the Liberty led by 21.

They shot 65.2 percent from the field to start the game.

They hit 4-of-7 3-point attempts, too.

Still, they needed to withstand Connecticut’s comeback in the second half, but Breanna Stewart topped 20 points for the first time this series (25 points), Betnijah Laney scored 20 for the second consecutive game and Jonquel Jones added a double-double.

Game 1 had been all about Connecticut’s defense, and how it limited the Liberty to a season-low 63 points.

Game 2 was all about the zone defense, the in-game pivot that head coach Sandy Brondello admitted pregame she probably should’ve made Sunday.

The series, as any good one does, turned into a chess match, but the moves and adjustments in this game — and the 2-1 advantage it’d allow — carried massive ramifications.