Before Saturday night’s game started at Target Center, Lynx coach Reeve suggested that this season has gone on long enough to suggest this is just who the 2023 Lynx are.

Before Breanna Stewart went out and scored 38 points on 12-for-17 shooting in only three quarters, before the New York Liberty beat the Lynx up 111-76, Reeve was talking about Minnesota’s struggles at home. The Lynx entered Saturday’s game 17-17 overall, but just 7-10 at home.

Make that 17-18, 7-11.

“It’s one of those things you wish you could figure out,” Reeve said. “then you just get to a certain points in the season where it’s just the way some things are this season. Sometimes things happen that way. I know the players don’t feel very good. They don’t want to be one of the worst teams [at home] that we’ve had.”

The 11 home losses is the most by a Reeve-coached Lynx team; they were 7-10 in 2010, her first year, with a shorter schedule.

The Liberty (27-7) were ridiculous from start to finish. New York’s 37 second-quarter points were the most by a Lynx opponent this season. Ditto for the 65 first-half points. The Liberty led by as many as 43 while handing the Lynx their second-worst loss of the season.

Stewart? She scored 12 of New York’s first 14 points. She scored 17 in the first quarter, 10 in the second, 11 in the third. In the fourth she rested.

Stewart made six of eight three-pointers, tying a career high. She also had 11 rebounds as the Liberty handed the Lynx their second-worst loss of the season, with both coming at home.

Sabrina Ionescu added 19 points for New York. Courtney Vandersloot and Betnijah Laney each had 15.

Diamond Miller led Minnesota with 18 points. Aerial Powers had 15 off the bench. Napheesa Collier (10) and Kayla McBride (nine) both sat the fourth quarter.

New York has won 10 of 11 games since losing at home to the Lynx on July 28. The Lynx had a two-game winning streak end.

McBride scored off the game’s opening tip. That was the Lynx’s only lead.

For the next few minutes it was all Stewart in a 14-3 run that put the Liberty — who made their first six shots — up 14-5. Stewart had 12 of those 14 points.

But, after making their first six, the Liberty finished the quarter making three of 13 points, which allowed the Lynx to get within three on McBride’s three with 2:08 left in the quarter. But the Liberty scored the quarter’s final five points, including a three by Stewart that gave her 17 points, to go up eight entering the second.

What followed was a 37-point quarter in which both Stewart and Ionescu scored 10 points. Reeve called multiple timeouts but just couldn’t stop the momentum of the quarter, in which the Liberty made 16 of 21 shots.