Uncasville, Conn. ? It has taken Yolanda Griffith seven years to reach the WNBA Finals, and her debut was a splashy one.

Griffith scored 25 points and dominated inside as the Sacramento Monarchs beat the Connecticut Sun, 69-65, in the opener of the best-of-five series. With her career winding down, the 35-year-old forward knows this could be her last shot at the title.

“Nothing in life is guaranteed, and I’ve been preaching that from Day 1,” Griffith said. “We’re here this year, but we can finish last next year.”

The Monarchs lost both regular-season meetings, but used a strong inside game, anchored by Griffith, and relentless defense to hand Connecticut a rare home loss. The Sun, making their second straight appearance in the finals, had lost only three games this season at the Mohegan Sun arena coming in.

Game 2 is tonight in Connecticut.

Griffith’s 25 points are the fifth-highest single-game total in WNBA Finals history.

“She’s got that will right now to go and try to win a championship like everybody else and you can see how possessed she is at playing,” Connecticut coach Mike Thibault said.

The home crowd got into it early when Lindsay Whalen was announced for the starting lineup for Connecticut. The star point guard broke a bone in her left knee during the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday and was questionable for this series. The 8,200 fans erupted when Whalen ran onto the floor through bright orange jets of fire.

However, Griffith had the strong shooting touch in the end. The league’s leading offensive rebounder, Griffith shot 11-for-17, mostly on inside and second-chance buckets, and finished with a team-high nine boards. The Monarchs’ defensive pressure forced the Sun into 15 turnovers.