Minnesota won without Sylvia Fowles, who sat out to rest her calf. The Lynx were also missing Shenise Johnson to an injury.
Brown was making her first appearance since suffering a concussion.
Amanda Zahui B. led New York (0-5) with 13 points. The Liberty announced earlier in the day that Sabrina Ionescu had gone to New York to get her ankle injury evaluated.
The Lynx (4-1) shot 51% percent from the field and hit 10 of 21 from 3-point range. They held the Liberty without a field goal for nearly nine minutes during a 20-1 third-quarter run that turned Minnesota's two-point halftime deficit into a 24-point lead when Carleton made a basket with 1:33 left in the period.