In a game that will be remembered for the shocking injury to senior guard Derrick Roland, No. 19 Texas A&M led No. 22 Washington 32-30 at halftime before the Huskies went a 15-4 run following Roland's injury to come back and defeat the Aggies 73-64.
Texas A&M opened up a six-point lead, 28-22, on a Nathan Walkup layup with 4:27 left in the first half.
Senior forward Quincy Pondexter kept sluggish Washington close, scoring 16 of his 25 points in the first half, and and helped pull the Huxkies back to within two at halftime, 32-30.
Washington took a 34-33 lead early in the second half on a layup by Isaiah Thomas.
It was at this point in the game that Aggie senior guard, Derrick Roland, one of the leading defenders in the Big 12 Conference and the second-leading scorer for the Aggies, crashed hard to the court after jumping under the basket, breaking the tibia and fibula in his lower right leg.
Roland's obvious broken leg was a harrowing scene that reminded many of when former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann's broken leg that was on graphic display for a national television audience during a Monday night game in 1985.
Four University of Washington doctors rushed to Roland's side as he lay still on his back, arms over his eyes.
After about 10 minutes, Roland was taken away on a stretcher wearing an air cast and loaded onto an ambulance that took him across town to Harborview Medical Center. Roland, who scored a career-high 21 points earlier this season at Southern Methodist, was alert inside the ambulance. He was holding his head up as an IV was started in his arm.
Roland's teammates were distraught and the Aggies never seemed to get over the shock of seeing their teammate's collegiate career likely end so suddenly and graphically.
Washington immediately went on its game-turning 15-4 run following the delay. Scott Suggs' 3-pointer with 11:08 remaining put the Huskies up 49-37.
When Suggs hit another 3 with 2:55 to play, the Huskies still led by 12, 65-53.
But the Aggies scored eight of the next nine points, and pulled back to within 5, 66-61, when B. J. Holmes made his third 3-pointer in 2 1/2 minutes with 1:54 left.
But Vernoy Overton made five straight free throws to put Washington back up 71-61 with a minute left, and the Huskies had their eighth win in as many home games this season.
Quinton Pondexter led Washington (8-2) with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Venoy Overton added 12 points, including five free throws late, for the Huskies.
B.J. Holmes scored 17 points and made 5 of 7 3-pointers to keep the Aggies (9-3) in the game after Roland's injury. Donald Sloan added 16 points, but missed 15 of 20 field goals.
All thought after the game, however, were with Derrick Roland.
"He's in surgery now," Turgeon said immediately after the game, rushing out of the arena to the hospital across town.
Texas A&M now comes home for a much needed brerak before hosting Northwestern State on January 2nd.
Thoughts and prayers with Derrick Roland and his family and many friends.