Sam Godwin walked into the Paycom Center postgame interview room with the Bedlam trophy in hand.

Following last season’s overtime thriller win in Stillwater, the Ada native stole the hardware, thinking it’d be the final meeting between the two in-state rivals. Godwin was forced to return the trophy, which he’d been displaying by his fireplace throughout the year, this past week. 

“Obviously, we play them once this year, so we had one shot to secure the trophy,” Godwin said. “I’m glad we got it done.”

Not only did Godwin get his centerpiece back, he dropped a career-high 20 points on 10 of 14 shooting in a renewed neutral-site Bedlam matchup. Godwin’s career-best performance came inside the arena he frequented as a child watching Oklahoma City Thunder games and in front of 10,300 fans.

Led by Godwin, No. 13 Oklahoma defeated Oklahoma State 80-65 Saturday night at Paycom Center in the 250th all-time meeting between the two programs. With their win, the Sooners moved to 3-0 in their last three Bedlam contests and improved to 10-0 for the second time in as many seasons.

“We practiced here two days ago, it was kind of surreal,” Godwin said. “I’ve been watching Thunder games my whole life, sitting up in the bleachers so just to be on the court playing, it was really special to me so I gave it all I had.”

In addition to his career-high in scoring, Godwin added 14 rebounds for a double-double. He also finished with two blocks and three steals.

Two of Godwin’s points came off an assist from fellow Oklahoman Dayton Forsythe, who found a crashing Godwin for an easy dunk.

When he exited the floor for the final time with over a minute remaining, he was met with a standing ovation and a hug from head coach Porter Moser.

“I’m just happy for him,” Moser said postgame. “In this venue, this rivalry, being an in-state kid. He was just dialed in and it was great to see from him. It was huge for him to see it go in early.”

Now, Godwin can keep his decor. At least until the next Bedlam matchup.

More: How fast-rising NBA draft prospect Jeremiah Fears leads OU basketball into Bedlam

Sooners’ guards shine

Moser wasn’t even aware Kobe Elvis drilled five 3s until his postgame interview.

Elvis couldn’t miss as he finished with 15 points on 5 for 8 shooting from the field.

“Those are huge shots,” Moser said. “And I thought between Duke, Kobe and Fears, those three offensively, you’ve got weapons, because they all can put it on the deck, and they all can knock down a shot.”

Elvis added: “I was able to relax after the first 3. My confidence was up. I was prepared. I felt very confident.”

Fears continued his consistency with 17 points and five assists.

The Sooners’ consistent guard play from Elvis and Fears, as well as Duke Miles and Brycen Goodine on any given night has been a significant reason for their 10-0 start to the season.

“We’ve got some of the most unselfish guards in the country,” Godwin said. “They’re willing to give themselves up and hit the open player. All three of our point guards are capable of scoring in many different ways, so they open up the game and make it so much easier for everybody.”

More: Sorry, Big 12. The SEC is the best conference in men’s college basketball | Mussatto

Suffocating defense limits Cowboys

OU continues to play high-level defense.

The Sooners held the Cowboys to 39% shooting from the field and 28% from 3. They also forced 16 turnovers, finished with four blocks and held OSU to an over eight-minute stretch without a basket.

“They did a great job in transition,” Oklahoma State coach Steve Lutz said postgame. “You’ve got to give them credit, they scored and then they got back and got their defense set. They turned us over 11 times in the first half.”

Oklahoma scored 21 points off turnovers and ranks 49th nationally in KenPom’s defensive rating.

“We had a ton of respect watching them on tape,” Moser said. “And for us, the biggest thing, we were just really trying to not let them get going in transition.”