GRAMBLING, La. -- De'Ederick Petty scored 18 points and Alabama A&M beat Grambling 71-64 on Monday for the Bulldogs' first victory of the season.

Marcus Merriweather added 12 points for the Bulldogs (1-13), who won the Southwestern Athletic Conference opener and snapped a 16-game losing streak dating to last season. The Bulldogs shot 47 percent and made 7 of 17 from 3-point range.

Grambling opened the second half with a 12-0 run to get within a point, 36-35, before Alabama A&M pulled away to an 11-point edge. The Tigers cut the lead to 69-64 with 44 seconds left but missed their final five shots.

Merriweather's 3-pointer snapped a tie at 14:23 of the first half, and the Bulldogs built a 17-point lead before the Tigers (4-10) trimmed it to 36-23 at the break.

Grambling's Shirmane Thomas scored 19 points, making all nine of his free throws, Bobby Jackson added 17 and Smith 16. The Tigers scored 22 points off 25 turnovers, making 13 steals, but shot only 34 percent and missed all 10 of their 3-point attempts.