WATCH: Mark Pope and his daughter recap Kentucky's win over Valparaiso

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There wasn’t much to dislike in Kentucky’s 107-59 win over Valparaiso. The Cats controlled the game from the start, looking much better than they did in the first half vs. Nicholls on Tuesday. Mark Pope was so pleased with the win that he brought his youngest daughter, Shay, to the podium with him to talk about it. Shay fielded the final question, sharing her thoughts on the game and her dad’s coaching performance.

“I think my dad did a really good job,” Shay said. “And we won, so I’d say that’s a 10 out of 10.”

“I’m pretty sure that she doesn’t have enough gas to get home,” her father quipped.

Before father and daughter headed out, Pope shared his thoughts on the lopsided win. As you might expect, he had plenty of praise for Malachi Moreno, who finished the game with a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds, his first career double-double. However, he started with praise for Brandon Garrison, who finished with 12 points (4-4 FG, 4-4 FT), 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Both bigs played well, combining for seven assists, which is especially encouraging when you consider Jayden Quaintance is still inching toward a return.

Speaking of returns, Jaland Lowe took the floor for the first time as a Wildcat tonight. He immediately made a difference when he checked in, dishing a no-look assist to Denzel Abderdeen for a three in the corner and then driving the lane for a layup. Lowe finished with 6 points, 5 assists, and zero turnovers.

“I thought Jaland was great. He’s a 5-0 guy, right, in his first game in a Kentucky uniform, and he’s 5-0 off the bench. It’s really impressive. He can get to wherever he wants to on the floor. That means a lot to us. It’s a huge function for our team. I thought he was terrific defensively. He made an unbelievable saving play in transition on one possession. The rest of the team just wasn’t there to help him, but I think he’s a difference maker for us. He’s going to be massively important to this team. He’s got a ton of experience. He’s just cat, cat quick and can get to wherever he wants whenever he wants, and that’s going to be important for us.”

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The competition steps up in a big way Tuesday vs. Louisville, but for tonight, Mark Pope really likes his team. He’s not alone.

“I thought our guys came out with tremendous energy from the get-go, and I felt like they functioned pretty well. We’re making progress. We’ve got a long, long way to go to get better, but it was a good night for us and I’m proud of what we did.”