The San Diego State women’s basketball team is becoming desperate for a win.  Since its victory against New Mexico on Jan. 15, SDSU (8-13, 2-7 Mountain West Conference) has gone winless, losing five straight.

The Aztecs were picked to finish second in the MWC in a preseason poll done by the coaches and select media members. But since the start of conference play, it is clear SDSU misses its star guard Jene Morris, who got selected in the first round of the WNBA draft last year.

But if the Aztecs are going to turn it around, head coach Beth Burns believes it will be the younger players who have to step up. To her, it’s about preparing hard and building the confidence of the youngsters.

“These younger guys have got to work harder,” Burns said after a loss to TCU on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas. “But I thought Jasmine (Porter) and (Melissa) Sweat did a nice job off the bench (on Saturday). And if we get them more confident, our offense is going to improve.”

Porter and Sweat are both freshmen and both have been gaining confidence. Each freshman is getting more minutes and improving statistically as the season progresses.

Sweat was the prized recruit for the Aztecs this year and was ranked by ESPN as the 70th best recruit in the country. And with Morris gone, it was supposed to be Sweat that could eventually turn into a star guard herself. It hasn’t happened yet, but Sweat seems to have the potential.

And with only seven regular season games left, if the freshmen, and SDSU as a team, are going to step up and defend its MWC championship, it must be now.

The team will hope to continue to build confidence when the Aztecs take on Utah in Salt Lake City on Saturday.

AT A GLANCE:

Who: Utah Utes

when: 6 p.m.

Where: Salt Lake City

Why to watch: The Aztecs will try to end a five game skid and get back on the winning track.