Durham, NC -- (Sports Network) - Kyle Singler scored 21 points and made the go- ahead free throws with 19.4 seconds remaining in the game, as eighth-ranked Duke got a scare but came back to edge Rhode Island 82-79, at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Singler finished 6-of-14 from the field, including 3-of-8 from three-point range and converted 6-of-8 free throws for the Blue Devils, who extended their win streak to 62 straight over non-conference opponents at home.

The Blue Devils have now won 192 of their last 195 non-conference home games.

Jon Scheyer scored a team-high 23 points, while Nolan Smith and Lance Thomas each chipped in with 10 points for Duke (3-0). Gerald Henderson had nine points.

The Blue Devils opened up their season last week by routing both Presbyterian (80-49) and Georgia Southern (97-54).

"We're winners and we want to win bad," Scheyer said. "For us in a game like that, we had to go get that win. Nothing was going to be handed to us. It was a really tough game to win because obviously they shot really well and defensively they're big and athletic. We're not bigger than them, faster than them or taller. It was a really good matchup."

This was just the fourth time that these two teams have met. The two previous times both came in the NCAA Tournament, with Duke posting narrow one-point wins in both 1978 (63-62) and 1988 (73-72).

Jimmy Baron had a strong game for the upset-minded Rams (1-1), finishing with a game-high 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including 8-of-10 from beyond the arc. Delroy James contributed with career-high 21 points and eight boards, while Keith Cothran had 10 for Rhode Island

The Rams opened their season with a victory, as they edged out Brown on Friday, 76-74.

With Duke trailing 74-68 with 4:03 left in the contest, the Blue Devils would not be denied the win. A reverse layup by Singler with 1:52 to go got the Blue Devils within one and, following a defensive stop, Singler put the home team ahead 78-77 after nailing two from the foul line with 57 seconds remaining.

The back-and-forth affair continued as James was fouled and made a pair from the charity stripe to put the Rams in front again, this time 79-78. But James hacked Singler on the ensuing possession, and the Duke forward calmly made both from the line to push his squad ahead for good at 80-79 with 19.7 seconds to go.

Following a timeout by Rhode Island with 10.6 ticks left, Duke countered with a TO of its own. Baron's mid-range jumper from the left side came up short after being well-defended by Singler, and the ball went out of bounds to Duke with six seconds to go. Scheyer was fouled on the inbounds play and converted both free throws to give the Blue Devils a 82-79 edge with 3.7 seconds left.

Baron's desperation three-ball from mid court was off the mark, and Duke held on for the three-point victory.

"What a great game," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "It was a magnificent game. They had two players who played at a big-time level. Their whole team played at a big time level."

With Rhode Island holding a surprising 34-33 lead after one half of play, the hosts came out of the locker room for the second stanza and grabbed a brief 35-34 lead on a layup by Singler.

However, the Rams quickly regained the edge on a layup by James. With the score tied at 39-39 following a Brian Zoubek basket, Baron nailed a three and Rhode Island extended the lead to seven points following a James jumper 3:12 into the second.

Despite Duke briefly tying the contest at 48-48 at the 15:11 mark, the Rams grabbed the lead again when Baron drilled a trey and continued to play frontrunner, leading 74-68 after Baron hit another three, this time from way beyond the arc in the left corner.

Rhode Island started the contest playing inspired ball and managed to hold a two-point lead with just over seven minutes into the first half. The Rams then went on a 12-4 run and, after Ben Eaves made a three, held a 24-14 lead at the midway point of the first half.

But Duke made a run of its own, finishing out the half on a 19-10 burst, and, after a Scheyer three-pointer with three ticks left of the half, the Blue Devils trailed by 34-33 at the break.

Game Notes

Duke will next play Southern Illinois in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden...Rhode Island plays at Monmouth on Thursday.