Coming all the way from the snowy foothills of the Rocky Mountains to the Big Apple but leaving without a win in two games was not something Colorado wanted to experience.

That attitude carried a lot of weight in the Buffaloes' 68-54 victory over No. 22 Texas on Tuesday afternoon in the third-place game of the 10th annual Legends Classic at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Guard Derrick White poured in 16 points, including a huge 3-pointer in the final minutes, to help Colorado return home with a split of its two games in the event after a loss to Notre Dame on Monday.

"We needed that one -- it's crazy to think in November that you have a must-win game but that's the way we approached things today," Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. "The guys really responded. We thought the tougher team, the team that wanted it more, would win and that's the way in played out."

Guard George King added 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Buffaloes (4-1) while guard Josh Fortune scored 11.

King had points-rebounds double-doubles in both games in Brooklyn, a rarity for backcourt players.

"Our goal as guards is to go to the boards and chase the ball 90 percent of the time," King said. "Every time I went in there I felt like I got my hand on the ball and came down with it. Now we just have to keep it up."

Texas (3-2) was led by guard Kerwin Roach Jr.'s 16 points while freshman forward Jarrett Allen added 15 points for the Longhorns, who lost both games in Brooklyn by double digits.

Down 52-40 with just over seven minutes to play, Texas employed its "diamond press," and it produced an 11-2 run that was capped by a three-point play by center Shaquille Cleare and two free throws by Allen that brought the Longhorns to within 54-51.

"Texas sped us up with their press and we didn't handle it very well even though we knew it was coming," Boyle said. "Once we settled down a little, our guards make some good decisions with the ball and we kept our composure down the stretch."

But the Buffaloes responded with an inside basket by forward Wesley Gordon, a layup and two free throws by Fortune and a 3-pointer by White with the shot clock running down as part of a 9-2 run that put the game on ice.

Colorado built a 31-20 lead via an 8-0 run over a 3:30 stretch in the middle of the first half.

"We have to do a better job as a team creating for each other," Texas coach Shaka Smart said. "There is a lot of urgency that good teams have -- it's not like we are scared as a young team, we're worried and that can create that edge."

Roach brought the Longhorns to within 33-24 at the half with a short jumper just before the buzzer. King led the Buffaloes with seven points and 10 rebounds in the half while Allen paced the Longhorns with seven points.

The Longhorns outshot Colorado 39.3 to 35.9 percent in the first half but were just 1 of 7 from 3-point range. The Buffaloes held a 21-12 rebounding advantage and had 10 offensive rebounds in the half that led to six second-chance points for Colorado.

"These two games we experienced here in New York were a tough pill to swallow," Smart said. "But if we can learn from them then we can move forward."

NOTES: The loss dropped Texas to 8-4 in its three appearances at the Legends Classic. ... The Longhorns shot just 48 percent from the free-throw line in their semifinal loss to Northwestern on Monday. ... Colorado has four fifth-year seniors on its roster. ... Texas had won six of the last seven meetings against its former Big 12 Conference opponent entering Tuesday's game. ... Colorado's 12 wins over ranked opponents in coach Tad Boyle's six seasons are by far the best streak in team history. ... Texas has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 17 of the last 18 years and 25 of the last 28. The Longhorns are one of six schools nationally to have appeared in at least 17 of the last 18 tourneys (Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan State and Wisconsin).