Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Greg Paulus first buried a contested three with 1:18 to play then hit an off-balance jumper with 32.1 seconds remaining to create some breathing room, as seventh-ranked Duke slipped past Davidson, 79-73, at Bobcats Arena.

For the second time this season, Davidson pushed an upper-echelon in-state opponent to the final seconds in Charlotte. The Wildcats fell to top-ranked North Carolina, 72-68, earlier in the season, then hung tough and chipped away at Duke's double-digit edge in the second half.

Paulus scored 11 points, including the two key buckets down the stretch. Gerald Henderson compiled 21 points, Jon Scheyer added 15, Kyle Singler donated 14 points and grabbed 12 and DeMarcus Nelson contributed 11 points for Duke (8-0), which added a tough road win against a high-quality mid-major opponent to an early-season resume that includes the Maui Invitational title and a victory against Wisconsin.

Stephen Curry led Davidson (3-3) with 20 points while battling foul trouble throughout. After sitting a majority of the opening half with two fouls, Curry picked up a pair of offensive fouls in the opening eight minutes of the second half and played down the stretch with four fouls.

Jason Richards scored 14 points and dished out 11 assists and Boris Meno added 13 in the loss. Richards, an 88 percent foul shooter this season, missed his first six attempts in a 2-of-8 effort from the charity stripe.

Duke held a 43-32 led at the half before the Wildcats reeled off eight consecutive to begin the second half. The Blue Devils again asserted themselves, pushing the edge back to double digits before Davidson stormed back.

Paulus hit a three to put Duke up 73-65 with 1:18 on the clock, but Curry answered 13 seconds later to draw the Wildcats within five. With the shot clock again winding down, Paulus dribbled to his left and squared to hit a baseline jumper with 32.1 ticks to play.

William Archambault made a layup with 14.6 seconds to go, cutting the deficit to 75-70. Henderson made a pair of free throws with 5.3 ticks left to seal the win.