The Opals needed to win their final preliminary round match against Japan in India to secure top spot in pool B.

It was Bendigo Spirit star Griffin who stepped up when the Opals needed her most.

Griffin was a clear MVP for the Opals, scoring 16 points to go with nine rebounds and four assists as the Aussies won 83-74.

The standout performance came hot on the heels of 15 points and five rebounds against Korea and nine points, five rebounds and one assist in just 10 minutes against the Philippines.

After a tight first half, Griffin set up the Opals win with some crucial plays in the opening five minutes of the third term.

An 10-2 run gave the Opals a 12-point lead and Japan couldn’t reel them in.

Former Bendigo Spirit players Belinda Snell, Tessa Lavey and Sara Blicavs all hit the court for the Opals.

Blicavs had a wayward shooting night, but still contributed 12 points and five rebounds.

Snell had eight points, four rebounds and five assists, while Lavey added three points, two rebounds and one assist.

The Opals will enjoy a day off on Wednesday before playing North Korea in the quarter-finals on Thursday.

The Opals should have few troubles in defeating North Korea and they should advance to the semi-finals on Friday where it’s most likely they’ll face old rival New Zealand.

The gold medal and bronze medal matches will be played on Saturday.

The Opals need to make it to the Asia Cup semi-finals to qualify for next year’s World Cup.

While it was good news for Griffin and the Opals, the Asia Cup campaign for a former Bendigo Spirit player was made tougher on Tuesday.

Former Spirit centre Joy Burke is representing Chinese Taipei at the tournament.

Chinese Taipei needed to defeat New Zealand on Tuesday to grab second spot in pool A.

The Kiwis won a thrilling encounter 59-53 after Chinese Taipei had led by 11 points at the main break.

Burke is enjoying a fine tournament. She had 17 points and 10 rebounds in a one-point win over North Korea and six points and four rebounds in defeat against China.

Chinese Taipei will play Japan in Thursday’s quarter-finals, with the winner of that match likely to face pool A leader China in the semi-finals.