Feb. 23, 2009

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Maryland's Marissa Coleman was named Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week, while Miami's Shenise Johnson earned this week's Rookie honor for the period ending Feb. 22. Coleman picked up her league-leading (among active players) sixth career Player of the Week honor after leading the 9th-ranked Terrapins to a perfect 2-0 week, including a victory over 7th-ranked Duke in front of a nationally televised Fox audience.

Coleman became just the eighth player in ACC history to register 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds after she tabbed 24 points versus Duke on Sunday. The 24-point effort gave her exactly 2,000 career points. Coleman posted her ACC-high 34th career double-double by adding 10 rebounds against the Blue Devils, along with three assists and two steals to lead the Terps into second place in the league by handing Duke its worst loss of the season, 77-59. In a 2-0 week for Maryland, Coleman averaged 23.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals per contest, while shooting 56 percent from the floor.

In Maryland's road win at Georgia Tech on Thursday, Coleman sank all 11 of her free throws to begin an 18-for-20 (90 pct) effort on the week in a 23-point outing with a season-best seven assists versus the Yellow Jackets. The senior from Cheltenham, Md., posted her fourth and fifth straight 20-point game, after never having compiled more than two straight 20-point performances in her career.

Johnson tallied one of the most impressive individual performances in Miami history as the newcomer from Henrietta, N.Y., fell just one rebound shy of a triple-double against No. 23 Virginia. Johnson scored 25 points, the most by any Hurricane player this season, tallied a career-high 10 assists and grabbed nine rebounds in Charlottesville on Feb. 19.

Against the ACC's top team, Florida State, Johnson did not have her shooting touch, but she ripped down a game-high 10 rebounds and dealt out five assists in the one-point loss for the Canes.

The honor marks the third weekly accolade for Johnson, who also received the honor on Dec. 1 and Jan. 5.

ACC action resumes action later today as North Carolina travel across the Triad to face in-state rival NC State in the league's longest women's basketball series. The game, which will be broadcast on the league's regional sports network, will tip off at 7 p.m. ET.

Visit TheACC.com for more information, including a complete 2008-09 women's basketball schedule and information on the upcoming ACC Women's Basketball Tournament, which will be held March 5-8 at the Greensboro Coliseum.