The play wasn’t even designed for Eastern Kentucky’s Josh Taylor.

But the forward’s 12-foot running jump shot in the lane with 2.9 seconds left dropped through the net.

Taylor’s basket gave EKU a 63-62 win against Austin Peay in Saturday night’s Ohio Valley Conference Championship in Nashville, Tenn., sending the Colonels to their second NCAA Tournament in the past three years.

Taylor’s game-winning basket was his only one of the game.

The shot was designed for freshman guard Adam Leonard, Taylor said.

“I stepped out, was wide open, pump-faked for a three,” Taylor said about his basket. “He jumped over me, I went for the rim and just went for the finish and it went in.”

The Colonels had to hold off a late Austin Peay rally in order to secure the win.

EKU led by 11 with 5 minutes, 37 seconds to play, before Austin Peay came back and tied the game at 59 with just more than a minute to play.

Austin Peay, the No. 1 seed and regular season champion, is guaranteed a spot in the National Invitation Tournament since it won the league.

EKU now has until Sunday to find out where it will play in the NCAA Tournament.

The Colonels made the 2005 NCAA Tournament as a No. 15 seed, and lost 72-64 to Kentucky.

The last time an OVC team won a game in the NCAA Tournament was 1989, when then-league member Middle Tennessee State beat Florida State 97-83.

-For complete box score click here.

-For the O’Reilly OVC men’s bracket click here.