All-America forward selected for first time after leading Ravens to first National Championship appearance

RINDGE, N.H. (April 1, 2009) - Franklin Pierce University junior All-American and Great Britain international Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy (Conn.)) has been named the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II National Player of the Month for March it was announced by the Association today.

Leedham, the 2008 State Farm/WBCA Division II Player of the Year, earns WBCA Player of the Month honors for the first time after collecting honorable mention honors in January and February. She led Franklin Pierce to both the Northeast-10 Conference tournament and NCAA Division II East Regional championships in that time as well as a spot in the NCAA Division II Championship game for the first time in program history. Leedham averaged 25.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.2 steals and a block per game during the month which was comprised of nine postseason contests. She shot 55.1-percent (75-for-136) from the field, including 39% (23-59) from three-point range, and converted 86.9% (53-61) of her free-throw attempts for the month.

Leedham, who led Franklin Pierce in scoring in eight of the Ravens nine games last month, earned Northeast-10 Player of the Week honors three-straight weeks to round up the season, collecting MVP honors for the NE-10 Tournament as well as Most Outstanding Player accolades for the NCAA East Regional for the second-straight year. She was also named to the All-Tournament team at the Division II Elite Eight for the second-straight season. Leedham averaged 24.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.5 steals and 1.2 blocks per game during the Ravens six NCAA Tournament games, shooting 56.2-percent (50-for-89) from the field, including 37.5% (12-32) from beyond the arc, and converting 88.1% (37-42) of her free-throw attempts. Leedham set an NCAA Division II Tournament record with her 149 points in the event.

Leedham opened the month by leading Franklin Pierce to its first ever Northeast-10 Tournament title as she earned tournament MVP honors by averaging 25.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.7 steals over the Ravens three tournament wins, shooting 53.2-percent (25-for-47) from the field, including 40.7% (11-27) from three-point range, while converting 16-of-19 (84.2%) free-throw attempts. She posted 31 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot in the Ravens 93-81 win over third-seeded Bentley University in the NE-10 championship game. 

Leedham then led Franklin Pierce to its second-straight regional title, averaging 21.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 4.0 steals and 2.0 blocked shots, while shooting 57.6-percent (19-for-33) from the field, including 40% (6-15) from beyond the arc, and converting 21-of-23 (91.3%) of her free-throw attempts over the Ravens three victories in Philadelphia, Pa. She posted 24 points, six assists, five rebounds, four assists (no turnovers) and a blocked shot in the Ravens 78-54 triumph over third-seeded Stonehill College in the regional final. Leedham was named Most Outstanding Player and earned All-Tournament honors at the regional for the second-straight year in leading the Ravens to another Elite Eight.

At the Elite Eight in San Antonio, Texas, Leedham again earned All-Tournament team honors there as well, leading Franklin Pierce to its first ever national championship game appearance. She averaged 28 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and three steals over the Ravens three games in San Antonio, shooting 55.4-percent (31-for-56) from the field, including 35.3% (6-17) from three-point range, and converting 16-of-19 (84.2%) free-throw attempts. Leedham posted 30 points, five assists, three steals and three rebounds in Franklin Pierce's 88-73 quarterfinal round win over 6^th-ranked California (Pa.) University, before collecting 28 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals in the Ravens 58-39 semifinal victory over 24^th-ranked Delta State University. Leedham rounded out the season with her fifth double-double of the season (23^rd career) as she posted 26 points, ten rebounds, four steals, three assists and a blocked shot in Friday's 103-94 setback to 4^th-ranked Minnesota State University-Mankato in the national final. 

Leedham, the Daktronics East Region and NE-10 Player of the Year for the second-straight season, led the NE-10 in scoring for the third-straight year, breaking her own single-season program scoring average record with 23.5 points per game (5^th nationally), to go with 6.1 rebounds (19^th NE-10), 3.2 assists (14^th), 3.1 steals (1^st) and 1.3 blocked shots (7^th) per contest. She shot 50.2-percent from the field (6^th), including 37.3-percent from three-point range (8^th), while converting 86.3% of her free-throw attempts (6^th) for the season.

Leedham broke her own single-season scoring record with her 799 points scored this season, matching the Northeast-10 record and marking the 16^th-best single-season total in Division II history. She also set program records with 79 three-point field goals and 182 made free-throws, again breaking her own single-season mark in the latter category. Leedham is the only player in program history to post three seasons with 100-plus steals, finishing with 105 for the season, having shattered the program's career mark with 316 over her three seasons.

Leedham, who owns no less than 28 program records at Franklin Pierce, enters her senior season with 2,135 career points, just 54 shy of the Northeast-10 record of 2,189 set by American International College's Juana Garcia (1992-96), 375 shy of the program record of 2,564 set by University Hall of Famer Shelia Lindsay (1984-88) and 751 short of the Division II record of 2,885 set by LaShonda Chiles of Anderson (S.C.) University and Lander University (2004-08).

Franklin Pierce (29-6, 18-4 NE-10) is ranked No. 2 in the final USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II poll, marking the highest national ranking in program history. The Ravens captured both the NE-10 regular season and tournament titles for the first time in program history this season, while also winning the East region for the second-straight season.