After two completely different halves, the SG Flensburg-Handewitt lost 33:34 (12:18) at TBV Lemgo Lippe. After the first away defeat of the season, the SG remains second in the DAIKIN HBL table, just ahead of the East Westphalians. The SG's top scorers were Simon Pytlick (9), Kent Robin Tønnesen (7) and Domen Novak (6).
The SG had a number of injured players. Some question marks only faded a few hours before kick-off. Johannes Golla was initially only on the bench. Fellow center Blaž Blagotinšek and Lukas Jørgensen formed the middle block. The Dane scored to make it 4:3, the first lead of a game that had begun with many goalkeeper saves. Benjamin Burić was in charge of the SG goal. In the first seven minutes, only Simon Pytlick was able to score for the SG - twice. A 0:5 negative run set the SG back. Technical mistakes, missed shots and two missed seven-meter penalties added up to a considerable deficit. Johannes Golla and Niclas Kirkeløkke came on after around 20 minutes. Benjamin Burić remained in his position between the posts, as he continued to hold up well. But even he could not prevent the home side, who were brimming with enthusiasm and confidence, from taking a clear lead. It was telling that another Lemgo shot turned into the net right before the buzzer to make it 18:12.
Despite the score being 23:29, it was once again tight
Was anything still possible in the second half against an opponent who had managed almost everything in the first 30 minutes? Well: The second half began with the first seven-goal deficit not very promising. At least the SG now acted in a more controlled manner and increased its efficiency in offense. After 40 minutes, they had the chance to reduce the deficit to four goals. A counter-attack, but Emil Jakobsen and Domen Novak on the follow-up throw were unable to put the ball in the net. Just a few sequences later, the score was 19:26 and players such as Simon Pytlick and Marko Grgić had to carry a heavy rucksack, as they were fully stretched for the second time in 48 hours. Kent Robin Tønnesen flourished and scored five goals within a quarter of an hour. The Norwegian was on the board at times together with Niclas Kirkeløkke. The Danish left-handed player reduced the deficit to 25:29 with a vengeance with ten minutes to go. The machinery was running in front and it was getting tighter and tighter. Domen Novak finished off a counter-attack to make it 31:33. The SG switched to open man-to-man defense. Simon Pytlick actually scored with 32 seconds remaining to make it 33:34 and even got hold of the ball again. Domen Novak was fouled on the halfway line. The referees opted for video evidence and only awarded a free throw, which was of no avail from such a long distance. Too bad! Now it's time to recharge the batteries. The next top match is not for another week.
