Actually, lift does come into play with the Wikipedia explanation, but they just don't spell it out. The upwind wing has a higher AOA... It's a well established fact that increasing AOA increases lift. I was essentially explaining the same thing as the Wikipedia article, but in a slightly different wording.

When I mentioned lift, I didn't mention exposed surface area because, as the article states, it's an illusion. It does come into play when considering the yaw and ensuing sideslip.

Boy, FatOrangeKat you really got more than you bargained for didn't 'ya?