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Two weeks ago, we took you through the top five moments of the 2016-17 season, and this week you'll see our five favorite moments from the hardwood in this courtside countdown. Coming in at No. 5 is a holiday trip to Hawaii and a tournament-opening victory for the San Francisco men's basketball team.

Two days before Christmas, the Dons delivered a present to its first-year head coach Kyle Smith. USF earned its first signature win in the Smith era, turning back Utah 89-86 at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.

The Dons drilled 16 three-pointers to tie a Diamond Head Classic record, and shot 52.7 percent from the field for the night. The squad also had the dubious distinction for tying the record for most turnovers with 23 in the game full of splash balls and loose balls.

"It was a wild game," said Smith after the victorious effort. "You never like to turn the ball over 23 times but we shot well enough to come away with a nice win. It was a confidence boost for our program, for sure, knowing we can compete and get a win over a team like Utah. Our guys weathered the storm and made some big plays when they needed to."

The Dons took a 38-35 lead into intermission, and then make eight of their first nine shots in the second half to build a 15 point lead. Then, a cold spell allowed the Utes back into the game, as Utah's Sedrick Barefield cut the advantage to three with 6:20 to play.

With USF clinging to a two-point lead with under a minute remaining, Matt McCarthy made the defensive play of the night as he drew a charge from Barefield and denied the game-tying chance. The Dons went on to earn a semifinal victory over Illinois State before dropping the final contest of the Classic to San Diego State on Christmas Day.

Ready to see the Dons in action at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center this winter? Be sure to pick up your season tickets today!