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If coach Don Flanagan had an instant remedy to cure what ails the Lobos' anemic offense, he would have used that elixir by now.

The University of New Mexico women's basketball team has been suffering through a season-long slump of too many missed shots and too many home losses.

The Lobos (9-7, 1-2 Mountain West Conference) must find an antidote soon or face becoming a lower-tier team in the conference this season.

A setback on the road at Air Force on Saturday afternoon seems unlikely given the past history between the two schools - UNM owns a 21-1 record against the Falcons (6-9, 0-3) with the last loss coming in 1992.

Still, with the lack of scoring punch, the Lobos are vulnerable to be beaten by anybody despite their stingy defense, which ranks 12th nationally, allowing foes 53.5 points per game.

The Lobos have lost five of their past seven games, including four at home, scoring 36, 54, 53, 52 and 54 in those losses. UNM scored 62 and 60 in the two wins during that stretch.

In fact, the Lobos hitting 60 points seems to be magical total for them. UNM is 31-0 over the past two seasons when scoring at least 60 points. The Lobos are 2-16 when scoring less than 60.

Flanagan says the team isn't far from fixing its scoring woes and noted the Lobos can still be a contender in the conference race.

Sometimes, you just have to get better on your own. But Dr. Don has some remedies that could speed the team's recovery:

Senior forward and go-to scorer Dionne Marsh needs to shoot, shoot and shoot some more.

Marsh went 5-of-9 in UNM's 57-54 loss at home to TCU on Tuesday night. She rarely takes a bad shot but needs to realize when it's better to shoot the open 12-foot jumper instead of dribbling into the inevitable double-team near the basket.

Senior guard Brandi Kimble must become more consistent with her 3-point shot. She's already the team's most reliable rebounder and an energetic defender. UNM is a better team when she's hitting her shot from beyond the arc. Kimble had three points and went 0-for-2 on her 3s against TCU. Over the past three games, she has hit 1-of-5 3-pointers.

That's got to change or Kimble needs to use her athleticism to drive to the basket when her outside shot isn't falling.

Sophomore point guard Amy Beggin needs to provide more vocal leadership on the court. It's tough for a sophomore to be the motivator, the kick-in-the-butt leader for the Lobos, but her position demands she take that role.

Plus, she's been one of the few consistent scorers for the Lobos throughout the season. She led the Lobos with 19 against the Horned Frogs, and ranks second on the team behind Marsh (15.4 points per game) with an average of 12.3 points.

The newcomers need to step up their contributions.

They can share the load. In last week's win over San Diego State, freshman Kelsey Ansley provided a spark off the bench. In the TCU loss, fellow freshman Amanda Best had a solid game.

The most consistent contributor as a freshman has been forward Jessica Kielpinski. She'll get her first start of the season at Air Force, Flanagan said on Thursday.

Kielpinski needs to take advantage of that opportunity by providing a scoring option for the Lobos near the basket, especially when teams gang up on Marsh.

If Dr. Don can't find a remedy soon, the streak of six straight NCAA trips might be in jeopardy.