Time International Club prevailed in the clash of titans edging Tribhuvan Army Club 103-96 on Wednesday in an intense game between the table-toppers that went to double Over Time.

In a match that swung like a pendulum, two-pointer from Times skipper Sadhish Pradhan pushed the game to the first OT after the regulation time ended at 80-80. Pradhan once again came to the Times rescue when he converted both free throws with no time left on the clock and tied the scores at 87-87 in the first OT.

The game was decided in an eventful last minute of the second OT that began with a three-pointer from Nischal Maharjan that put Army 96-94 ahead. Bijay Burja put Times one ahead when he converted the free throw after drawing fall in his first shot to make 97-96 with 30 seconds remaining. Joshua Shumsher Chand converted all four free throws with 19 seconds remaining and in between Army skipper Robin Khatri missed an open three.

Pradhan closed out the game converting both of the free throws as Times took the final OT 16-9 to ignite a wild celebration among the home supporters. Times have stretched their winning run to six games with Army tasting their first defeat in six matches.

Both the matches on Wednesday went to OT after tournament minnows Kirtipur Basketball Club sneaked through Nepal Police Club 88-86 in the single over time. NPC staged a solid comeback to overcome a 20-point deficit but still lost to a fighting Kirtipur in the nail biter. Both teams were tied at 73 points each after regulation time and it was Kirtipur who held their nerves to register their first victory after five loss in a row.

The defeat was harsh on NPC who have bolstered their squad with the inclusion of three Bangladeshi national team trio. They stunned defending champions Golden Gate International Club in their previous game but lost to a lowly side for third defeat in five games after a poor performance in the first quarter.

Kirtipur were the surprise leaders going 23-8 ahead in the first quarter. They took the second quarter 18-15 and one stage were going strong with a 20-point cushion at the start of the third quarter. NPC, however, raised their game after three minutes into the third quarter and took a 25-16 lead. They continued to exert more pressure and two consecutive three-pointers from Bikash Gurung made it a three-point game at 55-58 with 6:33 remaining.

The departmental side led for the first time with a two-pointer and one free throw from Sudeep Chhetri at 61-60 with 4:41 left in the final quarter. Kirtipur continued to convert in every possession and were in a pole position when Chhewang Lama scored both free throws to make 73-70 with 17 seconds remaining. But Prashang Maskey sunk in a three-pointer with 14 seconds left to force OT. NPC also led the final quarter 25-16.

Anil Khadgi Shahi scored seven points in the OT for Kirtipur who took the OT 15-13. NPC’s Bangladeshi recruit Mohammad Aakash could have force second OT only to miss both his free throws with two seconds left. Man-of-the-match Suraj Khadgi made the huge impact for Kirtipur scoring 31 points and taking 11 rebounds. Anil also netted 22 points with skipper Sooman Maharjan pouring in 17.

Shahinur Sajib and Aakash combined for 23 rebounds for NPC with the former also scoring 20 points. Gurung rolled in four three pointers overall and scored 16 points. Aakash had 14.

Thursday’s Police vs Budhanilkantha as well as Golden Gate Club vs South Siders Basketball Club matches has been postponed on technical grounds following an ugly altercation in the match between Times and Army on Wednesday.