NEW YORK — The Liberty’s 85-79 overtime loss to the Atlanta Dream at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday afternoon came with a bright spot: Their star is playing better than ever.

Forward Tina Charles, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, recorded her fourth consecutive double-double to start the season, setting season highs with 29 points, six assists and two blocks and a career high with seven steals. New York let a 12-point lead slip away, however, and eventually was outscored 8-2 in the extra session.

Charles was sensational, feasting inside on the low block with regularity. She was lethal in the post, scoring with tantalizing spin moves, fadeaway jumpers and running hook shots. Charles even hit the Liberty’s lone three-pointer of the game from straightaway and celebrated with Knicks star Carmelo Anthony’s “three to the dome” routine.

When asked what makes Charles so effective in the post, head coach Bill Laimbeer said, “Everything. Her length, experience, shooting ability, post moves … she’s got the whole package.”

It is clear that the 2012 WNBA MVP is the heart and soul of the Liberty and her play on the court certainly indicates that. In one sequence late in the third quarter, Charles drew a double-team in the post, dribbled to the top of the key, passed to her teammate for an open three-pointer and then hustled back inside to grab the offensive rebound and draw a foul. She has become an all-around machine for the Liberty with a consistency that rivals any of the league’s All-Stars.

But as we’ve seen through the first 10 days of the regular season, Charles will need help if the Liberty are going to make another deep run into the postseason as they did a year ago.

Though they outscored the Dream 54-28 in the paint, they were outrebounded 54-43 and attempted 22 less free throws. Those are two of the main reasons why the Dream, who shot only 30.3% from the field, were able to walk away with a victory.

“I feel like we need to find somebody who can shoot the ball in the basket,” Laimbeer said when asked if he felt his team wasted an opportunity after having such success down low. “We need someone to step up and be another offensive threat for us.”

Charles played both a game and season-high 42 minutes on Monday, something Laimbeer second-guessed postgame.

“I probably should have given her a little rest in the middle there, but every time you turn around the game had a chance to get out of hand because we weren’t able to score,” Laimbeer said. “If we had other people stepping up and scoring, I could have given her some rest, but I couldn’t afford that luxury today.”

Charles was just 3-for-9 with seven points and two key missed free throws in the fourth quarter and overtime, a sign that fatigue may have worn her out down the stretch.

Additionally, Sugar Rodgers was the only other Liberty player to score in double figures, as she tallied 10 points on 4-for-14 shooting. Charles was a one-woman wrecking crew, and though she was an incredible force to be reckoned with, she wasn’t enough to top the Dream on her own.