GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Kendra Berry rattled in a 3-pointer — the first of her career — with 2.3 seconds remaining in the game to lift Furman to a 63-62 upset victory over visiting Appalachian State in Southern Conference women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.

With Furman trailing 62-60, Berry, a senior forward from Albany, Ga., took a pass at the top of the circle from Kelly O'Connor, turned, and launched only the second 3-point attempt of her career.  The shot nicked the rim twice before falling through to give the Paladins a one-point lead.

After a timeout, Appalachian State's Sam Ramirez took the inbounds pass just inside half court but missed a desperation 3-pointer at the final buzzer.

Berry's decisive basket was set up O'Connor, who was fouled on a 3-point shot with 18 seconds remaining with the Paladins trailing, 62-58.  O'Connor drained her first two free throws to make it 62-60, but her final attempt bounced long off the rim and into Berry's hands.  Following a Furman timeout with  14 seconds to go, the Paladins inbounded the ball and O'Connor, despite heavy pressure, was able to pass the ball to Berry at the top of the circle, where she delivered the game winner.

The win improved Furman to 6-3 on the season and 2-0 in SoCon play, while the loss dropped Appalachian State to 6-3 overall and 1-1 in league action.  The Mountaineers were picked to finish second in the SoCon coaches' preseason poll and the Paladins 10th.

"That was a big win and an example of what can happen when a team battles, hangs around, and takes advantage of a late opportunity to win the game," said first-year Furman head coach Jackie Carson.  "We may not have the most talented players, but we've got girls who will play hard and have the ability to make big shots."

Berry scored 12 points and claimed 10 rebounds in the contest for her fourth double-double in the past five games.  Lakyn Ledford also notched a double-double with 12 points and a game high 13 rebounds, and Katilin Murphy led the Paladins with 16 points.  O'Connor, meanwhile, delivered 13 points to give Furman four double figure scorers.

Sam Ramirez's 23 points led Appalachian State, which entered the contest averaging a SoCon best  82.9 points per game.

Furman trailed 31-22 at intermission and 53-43 with just over eight minutes remaining before putting together a 14-3 run to take its first lead of the game, 57-56, with 3:36 left following back-to-back O'Connor 3-pointers.

Ramirez answered with a 3-pointer with 3:11 to give ASU a 59-57 lead.

A Berry free throw at the 2:19 juncture made it a one-point game before the Mountaineers' Ashlen Dewart canned a pair of free throws to stretch the advantage to 61-58.  Canesha Edwards' converted one of two free throws with 27 seconds remaining for a 62-58 Mountaineer lead.

On the ensuing possession, O'Connor let fly with a 3-point shot from the top of the circle but was fouled hard by ASU's Anna Freeman with 18 seconds to go.

Appalachian State forged a slight shooting advantage in the game, converting 38.1 percent of its shots from the field to Furman's 35.5 percent, and the Mountaineers claimed a 48-42 rebounding margin. The Paladins, however, managed an advantage at the free throw line, making good on 14-of-24 attempts to ASU's 7-of-14, and Furman found the mark on 5-of-10 3-pointers in the second half while the Mountaineres connect on just 2-of-9 shots from beyond the arc over the game's final 20 minutes.

The two teams combined for 54 turnovers.

Furman will attempt to remain perfect in league play on Monday when it plays at UNC Greensboro in a 2:00 p.m. game.