Injury update: We have gotten word that Derrick Roland was undergoing surgery Tuesday night at Harborview Medical Center for a broken fibula and tibia in his right leg.
And UW coach Lorenzo Romar’s opening statement to the media:
“You just feel for him. It’s hard for his teammates. How do you respond to that? It’s a tough deal. That kid’s a senior. He’s going through all this, and when you’re a senior, this is (your) last year, and (you want) to get the most of this and something like this happens. … It’s sad to see something like that.”
And here’s our game story.

Naturally, the Huskies were happy to get their 73-64 win over the Aggies. It was a pairing of ranked teams, it broke their eight-game losing streak against ranked non-conference opponents, and it gave the Pac-10 a third win in this season’s 12-game Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series.
But, of course, with Derrick Roland’s broken lower leg served as a gruesome turning point — the Huskies led by a point when Roland crumpled beneath the east-end basket — and everyone seemed somber about that.
“We knew either they were going to come out and fight as hard as they can or have heavy hearts,” UW captain Quincy Pondexter said. “After that they didn’t play to their capabilities because their mind was somewhere else. It was hard to see something like that happen and I pray to God it never happens to someone on our team like that. I pray to God for that team and I hope they bounce back.”
“That was gruesome,” Washington forward Darnell Gant said. “I was right there when he went down, but I didn’t see it until they said, ‘Is there a doctor? Somebody get a doctor.’ I looked and saw his leg. It was a bad sight to see. … I heard him fall. He didn’t make any noise like screaming or anything so we just kept going.”
Pondexter led all scorers with 25 points. Venoy Overton added 12, and Isaiah Thomas came on to add nine points — all in the second half.
Guard B.J. Holmes led Texas A&M (8-3) with 17 points, and guard Donald Sloan had 16. Roland had four points, one rebound and one assist.
The Huskies (8-2) will return to practice today, then take Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off. They return to action at noon Sunday when San Francisco visits. That will be UW’s final game before starting conference play against Oregon State on Dec. 31.
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