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UNIJOS Men’s Basketball Team Overpowers BSU 81–51
- Authors
- Olonade Philips
UNIJOS Men’s Basketball Team Overpowers BSU 81–51
The University of Jos (UNIJOS) men’s basketball team began their 27th Nigerian University Games (NUGA) campaign with a dominant 81–51 victory over Benue State University (BSU), overcoming accreditation setbacks that left them competing with only five players for the entire match.
The encounter, UNIJOS’s first appearance at the tournament, unfolded across four intense quarters, with the home crowd erupting at every score from the Plateau side.
Team captain Henry Bakle told Campulse News that the win was a product of cohesion and resolve. “We trusted each other. There is passion, there is talent, we pushed and gave our best, and God helped us. This win is the result of hard work and unity, even without substitutes,” he said.
BSU captain Gbenda Sinclair, however, contested the outcome, citing questionable officiating. “We started strong, but the officiating affected our morale. The referee ignored several fouls committed by UNIJOS players. It was not a fair game,” he argued, while noting that his side, seasoned by national championship experience, would “regroup and come back stronger” in their next match.
Countering the protest, Muawiyya Musa, an official observer from Khalifa Isyaku Rabiu University, Kano, maintained that the match was officiated according to standard procedures and that UNIJOS were deserving winners.
The UNIJOS team will resume their campaign as the basketball schedule continues later this week.