NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (Interstat) — Eric Parnell scored a game-high 29 points and Fairleigh Dickinson used a decisive second-half surge to upset Central Connecticut 76-66 in a Northeast Conference men’s basketball game Friday night at William H. Detrick Gymnasium.

The Knights, who entered as significant underdogs according to predictive metrics, improved to 7-13 overall. The Blue Devils, projected to win with near 90% certainty, fell to 10-8.

The most critical sequence of the contest unfolded early in the second half. Trailing 34-29 at halftime, Central Connecticut’s Darin Smith opened the period with a pull-up jumper and, after a Melo Sanchez steal, found Sanchez for a 3-pointer to tie the game at 36 with 16:09 remaining. The Blue Devils had seized momentum in front of a home crowd of 1,045.

Fairleigh Dickinson responded with a game-defining 17-3 run over the next five minutes. Parnell, a 6-foot-3 guard from Melbourne, Florida, ignited the burst with a 3-pointer. David Jevtic followed with another three, and Taeshaud Jackson added a hook shot. Arthur Cox and Joey Niesman contributed layups, and when Parnell drilled another three at the 13:13 mark, the Knights’ lead had ballooned to 53-39.

Central Connecticut never recovered. The Blue Devils clawed to within 62-58 on a Jay Rodgers layup with 3:01 left, but the Knights answered with a Cyril Martynov layup and then sealed the victory at the free-throw line. Parnell was instrumental in the closing minutes, making four consecutive free throws in the final 34 seconds to extinguish any hope of a late comeback.

Parnell, who played 35 minutes, added a block to his 29-point performance, continuing a strong individual stretch. He was supported by Niesman, who scored 18 points, and Martynov, who added 10 points and four assists. Cox facilitated the offense with six assists.

For Central Connecticut, Smith led the way with 19 points and three blocks. Rodgers matched Smith’s 19 points and dished out six assists, while Sanchez contributed 11 points. Max Frazier also scored 11 for the Blue Devils.

The first half was a defensive struggle, with Fairleigh Dickinson taking a narrow 32-29 lead into the break. The Knights shot more effectively after halftime, scoring 44 second-half points to pull away.

Fairleigh Dickinson visits Stonehill next Thursday. Central Connecticut travels to face Stonehill on Sunday.