By CASSANDRA TAYLOR: South Alabama secured a first-round home game in the Sun Belt Conference women's tournament with a 55-50 win over New Orleans Wednesday night at the Mitchell Center. Shakira Nettles scored a career-high 22 points for the Jags (18-10, 9-8).
"It's a tremendous relief to know that we don't have to make any travel arrangements," South Alabama coach Rick Pietri said. "Now, the only preference I have is to get as high a seed as we can. ... As we sit here today, we're sitting at No. 6 with the potential, with a little help, of moving up to No. 5."
The first-round Sun Belt tournament games will be played on campus sites Wednesday. Afterward, the tournament proper will be staged at the Mitchell Center March 8-11. The Jags jumped to a 21-9 lead, with Nettles scoring 10 of the points. "We knew how big this game was for the opening round of the tournament as well as positioning overall," Nettles said. "Defensively, we had a lot of energy, and as for my game, I just had fun."
Pietri praised Nettles' performance. "Shakira had a great night," he said. "She was the primary defender on (New Orleans' leading scorer) Le'Della English and managed to hold her to only 9 points. "Offensively, she made plays for us and finished plays around the goal."
South Alabama led 34-27 at halftime and built a 12-point lead before the Privateers closed the gap. "I thought at times we looked really good," Pietri said. "For the most part, we were able to turn turnovers into points. We also made some really good reads in the half-court offense."
A Shakira fan forked over US$3,000 (€2,060) to buy a bra once worn by the Colombian singer, while another paid US$14,000 (€9,630) for front-row seats and the privilege of meeting the hip-shaking star.
The two bids were among the highest on 40 items Shakira donated to an Internet auction that has raised US$76,000 (€52,280) for her Bare Feet Foundation, which is building a school for poor children in northern Colombia.
"We had bidders from 10 countries," Eric Gazin, president of the firm Auction Cause which hosted the sale, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Another popular item was a shiny lavender skirt with turquoise and coral beading that Shakira wore while singing "Hips Don't Lie," during her "Oral Fixation" tour. The skirt fetched more than US$1,000 (€690).
Still up for grabs until Sunday are an electric Fender guitar and an acoustic Taylor guitar, both bearing Shakira's autograph.
Reckon your hips might lie if you put on a pop star's skirt? Well, Shakira's going to let you find out. The big-hearted star is auctioning off a large part of her wardrobe for charidee. Yup, Shakira is offering up more than 40 costumes from her 2007 Oral Fixation tour.
The variously wild and wonderful outfits can be bartered for by you, me and Joe the public on eBay's Giving Work website. Among the hip-swivelling items being flogged by the singer are a lavender skirt with coral beads and a low-cut red frock with billowing sleeves.
Oh, and if a blue tank top with the slogan "For Those Who Love To Rock" is just what you're looking for, you'll also be a happy bunny. But get there quick - the auction ends on 10th February, and we reckon all these Sharika-worn numbers will be snapped up in a matter of web-space seconds.
The bidding is said to have attracted interest from all over the world.All profits will go to Shakira's Bare Feet Foundation, a project based around building a school in the singer's native Columbia.
By CASSANDRA TAYLOR: South Alabama secured a first-round home game in the Sun Belt Conference women's tournament with a 55-50 win over New Orleans Wednesday night at the Mitchell Center. Shakira Nettles scored a career-high 22 points for the Jags (18-10, 9-8).
