PALM DESERT, Calif. – Kellen Thames scored the game-winning basket with nine ticks left on the clock Thursday, completing a thrilling 71-70 victory over Santa Clara in the opening game of the Acrisure Invitational in Palm Desert, Calif.

The Billikens remain undefeated on the season at 6-0. It was the first loss of the year for Santa Clara, which falls to 6-1.

Saint Louis advances to the Championship Game of the Acrisure Invitational tomorrow (Friday) at 6 p.m. CT / 4 p.m. PT. The Billikens will face the winner of Thursday night's game between Minnesota and Stanford.

Trey Green led the Billikens in scoring with 21 points. He was 6-of-13 from 3-point range. Dion Brown scored all 13 of his points in the second half.

Thames finished 5-of-5 from the field, including the game-winning basket. He also corralled eight rebounds and finished with a team-high +11 plus/minus.

Santa Clara led by one with a minute to go to set up Thames' heroics. After a SLU turnover, the Billikens got a stop on the other end. Quentin Jones brought the ball down the court and found Thames in the corner. He drove into the paint and made a circus shot around a Santa Clara defender to put SLU on top by one. The Broncos quickly in-bounded and drove down the court, but their mid-range jumper was off the mark and SLU escaped with the win. 

Saint Louis trailed by as many as nine early in the second half, but used an 11-2 run to get back into the game. Neither team had a lead by more than a possession for the final 10 minutes of the closely-contested matchup.

Santa Clara led 35-31 at halftime despite a game-high 12 points by Green in the opening session. He was 4-of-7 from 3-point range in the opening stanza and helped the Billikens manage a nine-point deficit at one point.