Matt Weir / The Collegian

The ‘Dogs Big Dance party was not meant to be as the Baylor Bears escaped Haas Pavilion with a 69-55 NCAA Tournament first-round victory.

After a valiant first-half effort on Bears’ star center Brittney Griner, the ‘Dogs had little answers both offensively and defensively in the final 20 minutes of play. Griners’ 12 second-half points paced the Bears, spoiling the ‘Dogs chance at an upset.

Fresno State did hold a brief first-half lead via LaShay Fears’ layup with 6:31 to play, putting the Bulldogs ahead 20-19, but that would be the margin that wouldn’t stand.

Fresno State came within three points of Baylor in the final period, but went cold for nearly six minutes while Griner and company took an insurmountable lead.

Matt Weir / The Collegian

Despite Griner’s 6-foot-8-inch frame, the Bulldogs held their own in the paint, nearly matching Baylor’s rebounds with 36 for the game.

The ‘Dogs had two players score in double figures with Hayley Munro and backup guard Emma Andrews tallying 13 points apiece.

Shooting struggles seemed to carry over from the Western Athletic Conference Tournament last weekend, as Fresno State shot just 34.4 percent from the floor, 29.4 percent coming from beyond the arc.

WAC Defensive Player of the Year Jaleesa Ross had an off night offensively, shooting 4-of-17 from the field and scoring just two points in the second half. Fresno State concludes its record-breaking season with a 27-7 overall record.