Canaan lifts Murray St over Colorado St, 58-41

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Murray State forward Ivan Aska (42) goes for a loose ball along with Colorado State forward Will Bell (23) in the first half of an NCAA tournament second-round college basketball game in Louisville, Ky., Thursday, March 15, 2012. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

(AP) Isaiah Canaan scored 15 points in Murray State’s return to the NCAA tournament after a two-year wait, and Donte Poole added 13 to lead the Racers to a 58-41 victory over Colorado State on Thursday in the second round.

Canaan mishandled the ball in the closing seconds of a two-point loss to Butler in 2010 as a freshman. He’s the leader of this group now, and Murray State (31-1) expects a long run in this tournament as the mid-major darlings.

Poole scored Murray State’s first eight points early, and the sixth-seeded Racers shook off an 11-day wait with an 18-2 rally to start the second half.

Pierce Hornung led Colorado State (20-12) with 12 points and matched a career-high with 17 rebounds for the 11th-seeded Rams, who were making their first tournament appearance since 2003.