Leedhams, Great Britain Edged by Poland for 5th-place in OT

Jo. Leedham leads Great Britain with 24 points, but Poland posts 79-74 overtime victory

BELGRADE, Serbia (July 10, 2009) - Franklin Pierce University women's basketball standouts Jennifer and Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy (Conn.)) and the Great Britain national team have posted a sixth place finish at the 2009 World University Games after dropping a heartbreaking 79-74 overtime decision to Poland at Milenijum Vrsac Sports Hall this afternoon.

Three-time All-American Johannah Leedham, the 2008 State Farm/WBCA Division II Player of the Year, led Great Britain with a team-high 24 points to go with seven rebounds (three offensive), five steals and two assists in 34 minutes of action. She made 9-of-19 shots from the field, including 3-for-10 from three-point range, while converting 3-of-4 free-throw attempts after drawing a team-best five fouls.

Older sister, Jennifer Leedham, a recent graduate of Franklin Pierce and two-time All-Northeast-10 Conference selection who has been named assistant coach of the Ravens, chipped in with three points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal in 21 minutes off the bench for Great Britain. She was 1-for-5 from the field, including 1-of-4 from beyond the arc.

Great Britain, who dropped a 74-64 decision to Poland earlier this week, carried a five point lead (37-32) into halftime after outscoring Poland 22-15 in the second quarter. Poland rallied to take a 53-49 lead into the fourth quarter, but Britain forced overtime by scoring a 17-13 advantage over the final ten minutes of regulation.

"Losing to Poland was very frustrating because we didnt play how we knew we could in the first game against them, and so eveybody was really up and focused on beating them this time," said Great Britain Head Coach Tom Maher. "Although we are disappointed to go out on a loss, overall I think we've got to be pretty happy with how we've done. We were a new team coming together and didn't have that long together beforehand. I think we exceeded a lot of people's expectations of us, so thats always nice, and sixth isn't too shabby either!"

Johannah Leedham concluded the University Games ranked third among tournament leaders in scoring with 18.9 points per game. She also ranks second in free-throw percentage at 92.6-percent (25-for-27), fourth in steals (2.4/gm) and sixth in three-point field goals (2.4/gm). Leedham also averaged 5.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.9 forced fouls per game, while shooting 43-percent (45-for-105) from the field, including 17-of-43 (40%) from three-point range.

"Individually we had some good players; Jo Leedham had a pretty good tournament and Kate Butters was a good improver," said Maher. "Azania Stewart was another player who showed she can be an international player."

Jennifer Leedham averaged 6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists over seven games at the tournament for Great Britain. She also chipped in with ten steals and made 39-percent (13-for-33) of her shots from the field, including 8-of-19 (42%) from three-point range, and converted 9-of-10 (90%) free-throw attempts over the two weeks.

Great Britain, which is beginning its push towards the 2012 Olympic Games in London under new head coach Tom Maher, posted a 3-4 record at the University Games with two losses coming to Poland and another to Gold Medal contending United States. Britain posted wins over host Serbia (76-67), France (80-56) and Chinese Taipei (94-74). Maher has joined Great Britain after serving as head coach at Australia, New Zealand and China.

"Nobody thought we would finish in the top eight, and we did," said Maher. "Although we lost two games in overtime it was a really good thing for us to be close to those teams, and know that we can compete with that sort of caliber. We were seeded to finish in the bottom four and I think we were looked at as a bit of an easy ride but it didn't turn out that way; we definitely gained respect."