And then there was one

Few players in sports history have had the honor of having their names accompanied by an expletive. Here in Boston, Bucky [expletive] Dent and Aaron [expletive] Boone carry that honor.

Kristi Dini may also share that honor in Hartford. The senior guard scorched the University of Hartford for 16 points, six rebounds, three assists and a crucial block late in the second half in the Boston University women’s basketball team’s 76-65 triumph over the hated defending America East champs.

Dini burnt the rival Hawks with the deep ball. She was 4-of-7 from 3-point range, adding to her league-leading average of 3.06 3-pointers per game.

In the teams’ only matchup at Case Gymnasium last season, Dini led all scorers with 19 points ‘-‘- all of which came in the second half while BU overcame a 15-point deficit. With time expiring in the second half and the Terriers down by one, Dini nailed a half-court prayer that gave BU a 62-60 win.

‘All of our guards can really take it to their guards,’ Dini said. ‘I think we have more size, and we’re quicker [than Hartford].

‘Our starting five are great scorers, and we have a deep bench. If you take away [senior Christine Kinneary], you have me open. If you take away me, [Kinneary] is going to score.’

‘Dini is a great shooter ‘-‘- the best shooter in the league I think,’ BU coach Kelly Greenberg said. ‘She’s going to shoot her open three[-pointer] no matter who we’re playing against, and I think that’s key for us this year. When she’s open, just be ready to shoot it, and she certainly did that.’

Dini found her rhythm early in the game when she drained two 3s in the first four minutes, putting the Terriers up 10-2.

The 5-foot-10 guard hit another rainmaker nine minutes into the second half, bringing BU to a 51-44 lead.

She hit two layups off of inbound passes late in the second half, the first of which capped a 9-0 Terrier run.

‘We really like our out-of-bounds plays,’ Greenberg said. ‘We executed, Dini set good screens and when they ran out, she got the layup, so it was great.’

‘If you take one player out, the other player’s going to score,’ Dini said when asked about BU’s wealth of inbound options. ‘I got [junior Aly Hinton] and [senior Jesyka Burks-Wiley] open, and they were knocking down shots. They have to scramble to get out to them, and then the layup is open. They can’t defend us all.’

Coming into last night, Hartford was the only team other than BU with an unblemished record in conference play. They have met in the America East championship game three times in the last four years, with Hartford winning last season’s championship game, 61-45, over the Terriers.

‘It’s really easy to get hyped for this game,’ Dini said. ‘We’re big rivals, always competing for the top spot.’

‘I feel like us beating them tonight really solidified us as a great team,’ Burks-Wiley (18 points, five boards) said about the rivalry with Hartford. ‘It’s personal ‘-‘- that’s the best way to do it. [Hartford junior forward] Erica Beverly and I came in together.’

‘Every time you step out there, it’s like ‘You know I don’t like you, and you don’t like me,” Burks-Wiley said.