DAYTON, Ohio – The Hoyas failed to find an offensive rhythm in the first half, but they learned they can count on one of their seniors to step up when it matters – even in the uncharted territory of the NCAAs.

This time it was Ashanti Cook who came through in the clutch, scoring 11 of his 14 points in the second half to lead Georgetown (22-9) to a 54-49 win over Northern Iowa (23-10) in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday afternoon.

“It was our first game, but now I think our jitters are out,” Cook said. “Now it’s time to play some basketball.”

Cook sank four critical free throws in the final 20 seconds to start Georgetown’s first tournament appearance in five years on a winning note, sending the team to a second-round date with Ohio State (26-5) on Sunday afternoon.

Cook’s success on the perimeter opened up the lane for Roy Hibbert, who added eight of his 17 points in the second half.

Hibbert fouled out of the game with 1:11 to play after picking up two penalties in quick succession, first for elbowing junior forward Grant Stout in the head at midcourt and 10 seconds later for roughing up Stout under the basket.

But the calls emphasized the aggressiveness the 7-foot-2 sophomore showed throughout his 26 minutes of play, during which he shot 8-of-10 from the floor and added nine rebounds.

“I was just clearing some space,” Hibbert said of the elbowing foul. “And I’m going to keep on playing aggressive and clearing space.”

Cook and Hibbert were the only Hoyas in double figures. A potent defense by Northern Iowa, who allowed only 57.1 points per game in the regular season, held Brandon Bowman to six points and Jeff Green to two.

“This time of year, we’re going to need Jeff to score more than two points if we want to win games,” Head Coach John Thompson III said.

Early on the Hoyas appeared to have their work cut out for them, trailing for most of the first half as the Panthers opened up a lead that got as wide as seven.

Georgetown was troubled by Northern Iowa’s zone defense, and the hot hands of sophomore center Eric Coleman (3-of-3 in the first half) and senior guard John Little (5-of-5) kept the Hoyas in a deficit. Little dropped in four straight treys from the corner, guiding the Panthers to a 30-26 halftime lead.

Going into the locker room, however, Northern Iowa had only knocked down one shot in its last six minutes. The Panthers’ shallow bench caught up with them and their starters, clearly winded, started forcing long three-point attempts.

Hibbert scored the first two baskets of the second period, tying the contest at 30. The Hoyas pulled ahead for good after Jessie Sapp nailed a three-pointer to give his team a 37-34 lead with 12:33 to play.

Though they managed to catch their breath a bit during the intermission, the Panthers proved no match to the Hoyas late in the game. Northern Iowa had no field goals for a nine-minute stretch in the second half, as most shots rattled off the rim or came up short.

And Georgetown did a good job of not allowing UNI to get any possessions in the paint, especially during the second half. Forced to stay outside, the Panthers shot just 25 percent in the final 20 minutes, compared to 46 percent before the break.

“We weren’t going to give them easy lanes to the basket,” Hibbert said. “We wanted them to look down the lane and see four guys in the middle.”

The Georgetown victory came before 12,945 fans, most of them sporting the scarlet and gray of Ohio State, who was on the floor immediately preceding the Georgetown-UNI match.

Behind junior guard Ron Lewis, the Buckeyes fended off an inspired performance by Davidson (20-11), the champion of the Southern Conference. Lewis contributed 16 of his 19 points after the break as Ohio State notched a 70-62 first-round win.

The Hoyas and the Buckeyes meet on Sunday afternoon at the University of Dayton Arena to battle for a berth in the Sweet 16.