SANTA CRUZ de TENERIFE, Canary Islands— Brittany Griner got her first taste of Women’s World Cup Tuesday night after missing two games with an ankle injury and it didn’t take long for the powerful 6-8 center from the Phoenix Mercury to make an impact.

Griner, a three time All American and the national Player of the Year in 2012 when she led Baylor to a NCAA championship, came off the bench shot 6 for 8 and scored 15 points in just 13:25, dominating the paint in the minutes she played as Team USA defeated Latvia, 102-78, before a healthy crowd at Quico Cabrara Arena here to finish unbeaten with a 3-0 record in Group D play, earning a bye to the tournament quarterfinals Friday against the winner of the play-in game between Nigeria and Greece and qualifying for a spot in the 2020 Olympics in Japan.

“I missed it. Oh, I missed it. Sitting bench is the worst,’’ Giner said. “It’s like being in punishment. It’s like watching your siblings buy candy and toys. But, you can’t always get everything you want.’’

Griner and 6-5 WNBA Rookie of the Year A’jia Wilson each scored seven points as the Americans closed out the third quarter with a 17-0 run to take a 78-50 lead, giving a tired and beaten up defending champion a much-needed lift in this tournament, which is taking place dangerously close to the end of the WNBA playoffs in mid-September.

There needs to be a better solution if FIBA wants to showcase the best players in women’s basketball.  Most international teams in this competition has been practicing long term for this competition. The U.S. had three short mini-camps for this event, but they had only practiced together as a team for less than a week before this event.

We all saw what eventually happened to the men’s national team in the 2002 World Championships and the 2004 Olympics. There was a giant meltdown and Team USA had to settle to a bronze medal in Athens against Argentina, which had played 42 exhibition games together.

Fortunately, the U.S. has at least six players who—when rested and healthy– would be the best player on the majority of the 16 international teams here and enough depth to survive the fatigue so far. Seven players, led by 6-4 Olympian Tina Charles, scored in double figures for the U.S. which scored 100 or more points for the second consecutive game, camouflaging a defense that gave up 88 points to China and six threes in the fourth quarter against Latvia. “We gave up over 80 points a game,’’ Staley said. “That can jolt you into seeing the big picture. And the big picture is that if we give up 80 points to teams in the quarters and beyond, it’s going to be difficult for us to win another World Cup. Pointing out where we need to be on the defensive side of the ball always helps. And then just us making the players aware of it, they came out with a little better intensity and energy on defense tonight.’’

The fact the U.S. is an offensive juggernaut has allowed for U.S.A. national team coach Dawn Staley to give some much- needed rest to two starters– 38-year old veteran point guard Sue Bird and 6-4 forward Elena Delle Donne of the Washington Mystics, who suffered a bone bruise of the knee during the WNBA playoffs– against Latvia.  Staley will give the entire team off Wednesday.

“Right now, rest is just as important as practice. We don’t want to chance these things if they’re not 100 percent,’’ Staley said. “We think we’ve got enough in the tank we can sit them one more game and give here too more days of rest. But Brittany wanted to go. A player knows her body better than anybody. I talked to her after dinner Monday night and she was like, ‘Don’t listen to the players, I’m ready to go.’ I talked with our trainer and he said she’s ready to go. So, she got the nod and we’ll give here the game ball for being ready to go.’’

“I came here to play,’’ Griner said. “It’s go-time now.’’

There is little question Griner changes the dynamics of a game with her size and strength. “BG changes up all the part of the game for us and the other team, obviously,’’ said guard Diana Taurasi, the best international player on the planet and Griner’s teammate on the Mercury. “She does so much on both ends. She’s huge for us. We need her to be healthy.’’

“Brittany’s special just in her size,’’ said 6-4 center Tina Charles, a veteran Olympian who has been starting at that position. “Her length, how gifted and focused she is, being able to finish with both hands. How’s she’s able to move down low. She’s very selfless. She wants to learn, get better.’’

The third quarter was the Americans’ best of the tournament at both ends. “Hopefully, it’s a prelude of what we can be.’’

Unlike the men’s national team, the U.S. is still getting the bulk of the best available players to participate in this event. “I think we got six Olympians,’’ Staley said. “Some of the players from Rio retired or aren’t healthy. At the same time, we have a lot of great players in our league, especially some young players. I’m kind of looking at it as a blessing in disguise to give them this experience because we don’t know what this roster is going to look like in two years.’’

Wilson has been as consistent as any player on this roster. And Staley was able to start Layshida Clarendon at the point in place of Bird without missing a beat. Clarendon, from the Connecticut Sun, finished with seven assists, four steals and a nearly perfect floor game. “That’s what I try to do. We all have our roles on this team and what we bring, and so for me, it’s kind of the Energizer Bunny, also the point guard.  And so, I just try to bring the effort and tenacity on defense, and just always be swinging and fight and always hustling after the ball.’’