SHENZHEN, July 14 (Xinhua) -- A last-second layup from veteran center Park Ji-su lifted South Korea to a dramatic 78-76 win over New Zealand in a Group A clash at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup on Monday.

South Korea had seen its 11-point lead after three quarters evaporate when New Zealand forward Emilia Shearer hit a jumper with 6.5 seconds remaining. But Park responded with a decisive layup with just 0.5 seconds left, and New Zealand failed to convert its final inbounds play.

The narrow victory, however, was overshadowed by an injury to South Korean sharpshooter Kang Lee-seul late in the third quarter.

Kang, who scored 19 points, exited the game with an apparent leg injury. Choi I-saem led all scorers with 23 points, while Park Ji-hyun added 20. Kang and Choi combined for 11 three-pointers.

"Before coming into this tournament, I thought the game against New Zealand is the most important one for us, so we focused on training to prepare for them. Our players executed what we had trained, and I'm very glad that we had a good result today," South Korea coach Park Soo-ho said.

Shearer opened strong with nine early points to put New Zealand ahead 11-5, but South Korea answered with its trademark long-range shooting to take a 24-19 lead at the end of the first quarter.

South Korea extended the gap to 33-22 early in the second following a Choi three-pointer. New Zealand tried to stay in touch, but three consecutive threes from Kang and Choi gave South Korea a 46-38 lead at halftime.

After the break, South Korea's offensive rhythm faltered, allowing New Zealand to close the gap to three points. Kang and Choi again responded from deep, pushing the lead back into double digits. Kang's sixth three-pointer, banked in with 3:45 left in the third quarter, gave her side a 13-point cushion.

But with 1:51 remaining in the period, Kang went down and had to be helped off the court in a wheelchair.

Shearer finished with 22 points for New Zealand, while Rebecca Kathleen Pizzey and McKenna Dale added 11 each.

"To continue to fight back and give us a chance to win, I'm pretty happy with the girls," said New Zealand coach Natalie Hurst.

South Korea will next face host China on Tuesday, while New Zealand plays Indonesia.

Looking ahead to the matchup against the defending champions, coach Park said: "China is a very strong team, not only in Asia, but also in terms of the world. It's not about how good they are, it's about how we play on the court whoever we play with. China has very big players, so we have to prepare for that." ■