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Doing the cha-cha isn't what coach Don Flanagan wants to see from his Lobos.

"With this group, we take two steps forward, one step back," Flanagan said. "I just don't know when the step back is coming."

The two steps forward were recent lopsided wins at home over UNLV (94-64) and Colorado State (74-47).

The confidence was flowing.

The baskets were falling.

The Lobos were playing with a dance in their giddy-up.

Then came the step back.

The Lobos self-destructed in the first half of a 70-55 loss at No. 22 Wyoming on Sunday. The Cowgirls led the Lobos 18-2 and UNM never threatened the rest of the game.

"Our offense was so bad we didn't give our defense a chance," Flanagan said. "We turned the ball over and gave them opportunities to score early."

The Lobos (12-10 overall and 4-5 in the Mountain West), get the chance to scoot forward once more with a home game at 7 tonight against San Diego State. UNM won the first meeting in San Diego (60-47).

"This team (SDSU) is completely different (than Wyoming). They're very athletic, quick and pressure-oriented," Flanagan said. "They're young, so they're prone to mistakes, but they certainly have the talent to take teams apart."

The Aztecs (13-8, 4-5 MWC) had won four in a row before losing at TCU in their last outing.

"Hopefully, our offense will show up," Flanagan said. "A lot of this has to do with confidence."

Think Pink: The Lobos will wear pink shoe laces and the coaches also will sport pink for tonight's Women's Basketball Coaches Association promotion in support of breast cancer awareness.

Colleges around the country have been participating in the "Think Pink" campaign this season. Lobos fans are encouraged to also wear pink to the game.

"This is definitely a worthwhile event," Flanagan said. "We're just trying to bring awareness and help eradicate the illness."

Out of 13 Lobos, eight said they had a family member diagnosed with cancer.

"Without people giving money to develop the technology to beat cancer, my grandmother wouldn't be here," said UNM's Kelsey Ansley. "I'm so happy she's alive because we are so very close."

UNM senior Brandi Kimble said one of her aunts died four years ago from the illness. "I am hoping for a cure someday."

To the rescue: One of UNM's positives of late has been the play off the bench of guard Georonika Jackson. She scored a career-high nine points in the loss to Wyoming.

"I just felt like we needed someone else who handed the ball a little bit better," Flanagan said of Jackson's increased playing time the past few games. "She's shooting a little better now than earlier in the year. She was a little soft on defense, but seems to have shored that up, too."

Rising Aztecs: Flanagan said SDSU has one of the best young teams in the conference under Beth Burns, who is in her third season of her second stint as the Aztecs' head coach. Burns had a successful run in San Diego before leaving to coach Ohio State.

Since her return, SDSU has attracted many of the area's top players, including freshman Paris Johnson.

"She's a great recruiter and then she's an excellent coach," Flanagan said of Burns. "For her to land Paris, a national recruit, she did a great job there. . . . They're good now but they're going to be very good."