Don't ask old friends to talk about UCLA-USC

Don’t ask old friends to talk about UCLA-USC

By Corina Knoll

Jan. 11, 2009 12 AM PT

After graduating in 2006 from L.A. Windward High, friends Erica Tukiainen and Hailey Dunham went their separate ways.

Tukiainen headed for Westwood to play for UCLA, and Dunham went to USC. The junior guards still call each other occasionally and exchange text messages often, but they stay away from one particular topic: basketball rivalry.

Today, the two will meet for the first time this season at Pauley Pavilion when the Bruins (10-3) face the Trojans (8-5).

“We haven’t talked about the game, we’re pretty relaxed,” Tukiainen said. “I have a soft spot for Hailey, but of course when it’s game time, it’s all serious. She’s just raw athleticism. I think we can control her and contain her with our defense.”

Dunham’s take on Tukiainen?

“Her main thing is her versatility, she always plays hard,” Dunham said. “I love playing with her. It’s a little hard to play against her, but it’s always fun.”

USC is looking to stay unbeaten in the Pacific 10 Conference, having defeated Oregon, 66-56, and Oregon State, 78-54, to open conference play.

Senior guard Brynn Cameron led the Trojans in scoring against the Beavers, putting up 20 points, including four three-point baskets.

For UCLA, today will be a chance to regain control of its home court. The Bruins defeated Oregon State last weekend but lost two days later to Oregon. It was the first home loss of the season for UCLA, which is under new leadership with Coach Nikki Caldwell, formerly an assistant coach at Tennessee.

“We had some defensive lapses,” sophomore guard Doreena Campbell said. “But I think we’ve recouped over practice. We’re trying to work on small things that we miss: denying, rebounding, boxing out. Hopefully that will cross over to the USC game.”

The city rivals last met in the first round of the 2008 Pac-10 tournament, where UCLA beat USC, 73-52. During the regular season, however, the Bruins lost both games to the Trojans.

corina.knoll@latimes.com

USC-UCLA women

Where: Pauley Pavilion.

When: 2:30 p.m..

On the air: TV: Prime Ticket; Radio: 1150

USC Sports UCLA Sports

Corina Knoll

Corina Knoll is a former reporter for the Metro section of the Los Angeles Times. She was on the team that investigated corruption in Bell — which led to the paper’s 2011 Pulitzer Prize for public service — and went on to cover the trials of the city’s former officials. She later contributed to the paper’s coverage of the San Bernardino terror attack that won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news. As a regional reporter, she wrote features about the San Gabriel Valley and the Westside. During her courts beat, she covered high-profile criminal cases and civil disputes, including the Jackson family vs AEG and Bryan Stow vs LA Dodgers. She and two colleagues investigated sheriff’s deputies whose histories of misconduct landed them on the department’s top-secret Brady list. She left The Times in January 2019. Raised in the Midwest, she is a graduate of Macalester College.

Don’t ask old friends to talk about UCLA-USC

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