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For the third straight year, a team of Harvard Law School students bested their faculty opponents to take home the “Courtroom Classic” title in a 65-63 double overtime thriller on Thursday.

“It’s always a lot of fun,” HLS Dean of Students Stephen L. Ball said in an interview. “Everyone knows how intense the law school experience is, so it’s a good way to just come together as a community, hang out, see a different side of each other.”

Held on the hardwood at the Quadrangle Recreational Athletic Center, the game featured two 20-minute halves, followed by two overtime periods. Though the students broke out with an early lead, the faculty clawed back with pesky defense and a strong offense led by Election Law Clinic Instructor Sam Davis.

“We were at a pretty distinct height and athleticism disadvantage, so we were just trying to play hard defense, get open shots, move the ball — just try and compensate a little bit for their athleticism,” Davis said.

Facing a tied scoreboard as the buzzer reached zero, students and faculty gathered in a tense huddle and decided to tack on five minutes for an overtime period. After the added time ended in yet another tie, the teams again placed two minutes on the clock. This time, the students left no doubt and scored the game-clinching basket.

After slamming several dunks on the staff members, second-year law student Christopher E. Egi ’18 said he was content with the game’s outcome, pointing to his previous experience.

“I played here as an undergrad, ’18,” Egi said, “so it’s just fun to get out and play, make friends, meeting new people at the Law School.”

Egi continued to dominate in the second half — stealing, blocking, driving, and dunking while the faculty could only watch in awe. Several players on the faculty team pointed to the students’ athleticism as a clear advantage.

“I had to test my cardio,” HLS graduate and current staff member Saeed Ahmed said, referring to the student team as “youngins.”

“Coming in, we were told to at least try and get a respectable margin. I think we at least did that today,” Professor Joshua C. McDaniel said. “If you looked at the roster of the two teams, nobody would have thought that it would have been this close.”

After the game, many of the student players, staff members, and attendees spoke positively of the “enjoyable” tradition, calling it a “blast.”

“It was an amazing experience,” Ahmed said. “I’ve been part of it for three and a half years now, so both as a student and as a staff member. It’s really about community, bringing the staff, the faculty, the students together, and creating a memorable experience.”

Second-year law student Hugh L. O’Neil said the game gave the team “good bragging rights for the year.”

“I think this is our third or fourth win in a row as students,” he said. “We definitely didn’t want to be the group of students who ended the streak.”

“It definitely surpassed my expectations,” Daijha L. Morrow, third-year HLS student said.

Ball, who was a starting player on the faculty side, said the game offered a unique opportunity for the students and instructors to connect in a stress-free environment.

“As Dean of Students, I think we need more of this. I think it’s important for each side to see the human side of each other,” he said. “We administrators and faculty are real, breathing people with interest in regular things, like sports.”

“And for us, it’s a good chance to connect with the students that we serve every day,” Ball added.