It looked like it was finally going to happen: a season opening win, the first since the move to Division I.

A 55-45 lead with 8:19 to play was what Binghamton University had to work with. Don’t good things happen to those who wait? The BU women’s basketball team waited for Portland State to give up, but there was no reward. A 17-5 Viking run finished the game, handing the Bearcats a stunning 62-60 loss on Saturday night in Portland.

Head coach Rich Conover had plenty to say about the Bearcats’ collapse.

‘We did a great job in the first half, putting the ball where we needed it to go,’ Conover said. ‘But we didn’t respond well to their run. We didn’t do a good job defensively and were careless on offense.’

The Bearcats were in control of the flow of the game in the second half. But combined with eight turnovers and allowing nine offensive rebounds, Portland State rattled off 10 unanswered points and the 17-5 run was closed out by freshman forward Kelli Valentine, who scored the go-ahead basket with 50.7 seconds left.

The Bearcats have had to face prestigious programs in their season openers including the likes of Kansas, Syracuse and Sacred Heart, so it would have been a pleasant change for the Bearcats to win this season’s opener against a Portland State team from the Big Sky Conference.

Senior Laine Kurpniece had a game-high 22 points ‘ the most by a Binghamton player in a season opener since the program’s move to Division I ‘ and added nine rebounds. Her solid play in the paint allowed the Bearcats to build their lead in the second half. Kurpniece went 12-14 from the free-throw line, but her two misses came in the last six seconds and both makes would have tied the game.

‘She powered us to that lead in the second half,’ Conover said. ‘Fatigue might have been a factor on those shots, but it was not the reason for our loss. She was the leader tonight.’

Claire Faucher of Portland State scooped up the final rebound and the Vikings hung on for the win.

Junior forward Laura Franceski posted a career-high 15 points and added two blocks. Senior guard Laura Sario added 10 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Bearcats.

Conover made it clear that there was plenty to take away from the loss.

‘It was a tough loss, but we learned that every possession counts,’ he said. ‘We also understand that we’re not going to play perfect, but we still need to show composure in times of trouble.’

Despite the heartbreaking loss, the Bearcats have a lot to stay positive about with plenty still to work on.

Binghamton looks to pick up their first win of the season as they face St. Bonaventure on Saturday at the Elmira BC Arena at 4 p.m.

‘We are disappointed, but we’re going to strive to get better and better each game,’ Conover said.