Wichita ? Wichita State coach Mark Turgeon told his team it was only a matter of time before Houston started missing some shots.

He turned out to be right.

Jamar Howard scored 21 points, and Kyle Wilson added 20 to lead Wichita State past Houston, 85-69, in the opening round of the NIT on Wednesday night.

The Shockers (21-9) finished the game on a 19-3 run to win for just the third time in nine games.

Randy Burns had 16 points, and Sean Ogirri chipped in 14 for Wichita State, which will play Western Kentucky on a to-be-announced date.

Andre Owens scored a season-high 33 to lead the Cougars (18-14, 9-7 Conference USA). Ramon Dyer added 14 points.

Houston took a 36-34 lead into halftime. The Cougars shot 53 percent (14-of-26) in the first half. The Shockers shot 52 percent (10-of-19) in the half.

“I kept telling our guys, ‘They’re going to stop making shots,”‘ Turgeon said.

Indeed, the Shockers opened the second half on a 10-3 run, capped by Burns’ three, to take a 44-39 lead. The teams traded baskets, with WSU taking a 52-51 lead with 13:15 remaining.

Wilson scored the next seven points, including a three-point play, to give Wichita State a 59-51 lead with 11:34 to play.

The Cougars responded, going on a 15-5 run to take a 66-64 lead with 6:10 to play.

“When we had to chase them, they made their free throws and made the right plays,” Houston coach Tom Penders said.

Owens was assessed a technical foul for hitting the backboard after a dunk, and Wilson nailed the two free throws to tie the game at 66.

“It was a great game until that Mickey Mouse technical foul,” Penders said. “It definitely changed the momentum of the game.”

Texas A&M 82, Clemson 74

College Station, Texas — Freshman center Joseph Jones scored a season-high 25 points, lifting Texas A&M to its first postseason victory in 23 years. Jones dominated inside against Clemson’s frontcourt in the second half, going 7-for-9 from the field for 19 points.

Western Kentucky 88,

Kent State 80, OT

Bowling Green, Ky. — Antonio Haynes scored 29 points and had three steals, leading WKU.

St. Joe’s 53, Hofstra 44

Philadelphia — Saint Joseph’s got an emotional lift from John Bryant’s return to action. Bryant was in the starting lineup three weeks after his arm was broken on a hard foul ordered by Temple coach John Chaney.

TCU 60, Miami of Ohio 58

Oxford, Ohio — Nile Murry hit an 18-foot jumper with four seconds left to lift TCU.

Georgetown 64,

Boston U. 34

Washington — Coach John Thompson III got his first postseason victory.

Davidson 77,

Virginia Commonwealth 62

Richmond, Va. — Brendan Winters scored 14 points for Davidson.

Buffalo 81, Drexel 76, OT

Amherst, N.Y. — Mark Bortz had 20 points, and Turner Battle added 19 to lift Buffalo (23-9).

Memphis 90,

Northeastern 65

Memphis, Tenn. — Jeremy Hunt scored a career-high 24 points, and five Memphis players scored in double figures.

Vanderbilt 67, Indiana 60

Bloomington, Ind. — Corey Smith had 25 points, and Vanderbilt held off a late rally.

SW Missouri State 105,

Rice 82

Springfield, Mo. — Tamarr Maclin scored 20 points to lead Southwest Missouri State.

Maryland 85, ORU 72

College Park, Md. — Travis Garrison had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Maryland ended a four-game losing streak.

San Francisco 69, Denver 67

San Francisco — San Francisco won its first postseason game in 26 years.

Cal State Fullerton 85, Oregon State 83, OT

Corvallis, Ore. — Ralphy Holmes hit a jump shot at the buzzer, and Fullerton advanced in the NIT for the first time.