GREENSBORO, N.C. - After much anticipation, the combination of seniors Aja Boyd and CeCe Crudup have agreed to return to the court for UNCG women's basketball next season, using their extra year of eligibility in the approaching 2021-22 season. The pair provide not only talent and statistical numbers to next year's roster, but an excess of experience and leadership, with Boyd and Crudup both being named team captains prior to last season. The two have combined for 205 appearances in Division I competition, and have both received honors at the conference level for their past performances.

"We are excited to have two seniors return who have shown established success in the SoCon," said Spartan head coach Trina Patterson. "Aja is a 2020-21 Preseason All-Conference selection and SoCon All-Tournament selection. CeCe is a 2021 All-Defensive Team selection and Third Team All-SoCon Media player. Furthermore, they will be able to provide an abundance of leadership."

Missing the entirety of the 2020-21 season due to injury, Aja Boyd will return to the Spartan lineup after helping her side to a 2020 SoCon Regular Season title. A preseason All-SoCon selection last year, Boyd led that title-winning team from two years prior with a .557 field goal percentage in addition to pulling down 220 boards over 31 starts. The forward from Petersburg, Va. averaged 11.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game during her redshirt-junior campaign and was at her best toward the end of the season, where she earned Socon All-Tournament honors for averaging just under 20 points and more than eight rebounds per her three appearances in the tournament. Boyd has already accrued 66 blocks in a Spartan uniform over just two years played in Greensboro, placing her ninth in program history and less than 30 rejections shy of becoming one of the top-five blockers in UNCG history. 

"It was pretty simple decision for me," said Crudup. "UNCG has been home for the last four years and I have everything I need here to be successful. I know I will continue to have the opportunity to grow and that will put me in a great position when it's time to turn over to the next chapter in my life after this season is over."

"It means a great deal [to be playing with Aja Boyd next season]. We both bring back plenty of experience and leadership. I'm especially excited to play with Aja again after not being able to last season due to her injury. We thought the 19-20 season was the last time we would ever play together so this year is a great opportunity to finish strong together."

After averaging 22 minutes per game in her team's 2020 title run, CeCe Crudup played an increased role in last year's roster, starting all 24 of the Spartans' contests while playing nearly 32 minutes per game. The guard averaged a team-best 11.8 points per contest, while pulling down five rebounds per game, with her ability on the other end of the court earning the Richmond-native a spot on the SoCon All-Defensive Team. Crudup's 1.9 steals per game ranked fourth in the SoCon the previous season, holding 100 total steals in her career thus far. In her fourth year on the Spartan roster, Crudup saw her numbers grow throughout the season as her points per contest increased to 12.9 in conference play. Her efforts against conference opponents earned the guard a Third Team All-SoCon selection in the media poll, while she poured in 14.3 points, five rebounds, three assists and 2.3 steals per game in her final eight appearances. 

"The relationships I've built here and trust I have in Coach Patterson, and her system and her staff, made me want to come back for another year," said Boyd. "I think with this extra year we'll do great things together... I think with the help of CeCe we will bring experience and leadership to the team, which is always a good thing. I'm excited to play alongside CeCe again!"

Boyd and Crudup will be the team leaders on what is still a relatively young and growing Spartan roster. Boyd will lead a frontcourt that returns SoCon All-Freshman Khalis Cain and forward Jay'lin Hastings, who arrived on campus with high acclaim but was also forced to sit out the previous year due to injury. Crudup will be the talisman in a Spartan defense that allowed a league-best 57 points per game, while leading a guard corps that returns rising juniors Jayla Johnson and Excellanxt Greer. 

The Spartans will look to build off of a strong ending to the 2020-21 campaign, where they went 6-8 in conference play and won four of their last five regular season contests to secure a fifth seed in the SoCon Championship tournament. The additions of Boyd and Crudup will only shorten the odds of UNCG finishing higher in the table this coming season, with the side on the search for its second conference championship title in three years. 

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