DURHAM, N.C. - North Carolina Central University enters its fourth year of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference competition in 2014-15, during head coach Vanessa Taylor's third season with the Lady Eagles women's basketball program as NCCU opens its slate on Friday, Nov. 14 at Western Carolina. The Lady Eagles and Catamount tipoff at 7 p.m., in Cullowhee, N.C.
 
SEASON PREVIEW
Graduating only two letterwinners from the team a year ago, NCCU welcomes back two starters and eight letterwinners from the 2013-14 squad, which finished ninth in the league with a 6-10 MEAC record and 11-19 overall.

Senior Racquel Davis (Brooklyn, N.Y.) leads the returners for the Lady Eagles averaging a team-best 9.1 rebounds per game ranking her second in the conference, while leading the league during the regular season on the offensive glass with 4.2 per contest a year ago.

The 6-1 forward collected 12 double-doubles during her first season in a Lady Eagle uniform, averaging a team second-best 13.4 points per game (14th in MEAC) while shooting .492 from the field during her junior term, placing her second among MEAC opponents.

In the backcourt, senior Khyra Conerly (Oakland, Calif.) returns for her last season at NCCU as the programs third leading scorer a season ago. The 5-8 guard amassed 9.2 ppg during her junior season, while leading the team with 75 season assists. In addition, Conerly pulled down 4.8 rebounds per contest and swiped 50 steals on the season.
 
Senior Rachel Williams (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and sophomore Alexus Hynes (Houston, Texas) also return for the Lady Eagles as the duo split time starting at the point guard position during the 2013-14 season.
 
Williams finished her junior campaign appearing in 29 games with 21 starts. The 5-5 guard dished 49 helpers on the season while collecting 24 steals and posting a team-best 1.9 assist/turnover ratio.
 
Hynes wrapped up her rookie season averaging 2.1 ppg, collecting 37 assists, and 37 boards.
 
Also returning for NCCU; junior forward Tisha Dixon (Kinston, N.C.), redshirt sophomore guard Monique Whaley-Briggs (Philadelphia, Penn.), sophomore guard Morgan Jones (Stockbridge, Ga.) and sophomore forward Tia Clement (Winston-Salem, N.C.).
 
Three freshmen, and a redshirt junior duo will also see the floor for the first time in a Lady Eagle uniform this season.
 
Redshirt junior's Nikki Works (Syracuse, N.Y.) and Kristin Askew (Arlington, Texas) suit up for the first time after spending their first two seasons at Temple and Southern Methodist.
 
During her two-year stint at Temple, Works appeared in 51 games; collected a total of 86 rebounds, 71 points and nine steals. In her sophomore season she had her best outing during the third round of the WNIT versus Syracuse scoring a career-high 10 points on 3-for-4 shooting including 2-for-2 from behind the arc.

While at SMU, Askew played in 48 games while starting in four, amassed 125 career points (2.6 per game) and shot 13-for-29 from the three-point line (.448) her sophomore season.

In addition to the experienced newcomers, three true freshmen will also be looked to have an immediate impact.

Imani Atkinson (Greensboro, N.C./Greensboro Day School), Maya Jackson (Florence, S.C./West Florence H.S.) and Kierona Morton (Wayne, N.J./Passaic County Technical Institute) will all join NCCU as rookies during the 2014-15 season.

Atkinson, a 5-10 guard, averaged double-figure scoring (10 ppg) during her junior campaign, while also recording six boards and six steals per game a year ago.

Jackson, a 6-2 power forward, is in her second season at West Florence High School, she averaged 8.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks during her junior season.

Morton, a 6-1 post player, averaged a double-double during her junior season at Passaic Tech with 12.6 points and 10 rebounds per contest.