Syracuse, N.Y. – Senior guard Naté Gause (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Poughkeepsie/Quinnipiac) scored at least 20 points for the fourth straight game to lead the Le Moyne College men's basketball team to a 66-51 win over The College of Saint Rose on Saturday afternoon in Northeast-10 Conference play at Ted Grant Court.

With the victory, the Dolphins earn one-half of a point in the year-long "Upstate Challenge" between the two institutions. Through 11 contests, the fourth installment of the series is tied, 5-5.

Gause, the reigning Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week after posting a pair of 30-point performances at Saint Rose's Northeast-10 Challenge last weekend, tallied a game-best 28 points, including 19 after halftime, grabbed a game-high eight rebounds and posted four steals. Sophomore forward Stan Buczek (Port Jervis, N.Y./Burke Catholic) registered 16 points (one off his career high) and pulled down six rebounds, while junior guard Qwadere Lovell (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Mount Vernon) scored 12 points and dished out a game-high five assists.

Julian Lipinski came off the bench to score 13 points as the only Golden Knight to reach double figures. Max Weaver led Saint Rose on the backboards with six rebounds, while adding nine points.

The Dolphins started the game with the first seven points over the opening 2:34. Senior forward Ryan Romich (Groton, Mass./Groton-Dunstable/Vermont Academy) made a lay-up on Le Moyne's first possession, Buczek followed with a lay-up and then Gause nailed a jumper before Lovell converted a foul shot.

Saint Rose answered back with 17 of the next 26 points to take their only two leads of the game. After Anthony Russell nailed a three-pointer with 7:53 left to give the Golden Knights a 14-13 edge, Lipinski drained a three-pointer 78 seconds later for a 17-16 advantage.

Saint Rose's lead was short-lived as Buczek buried back-to-back three-pointers to give the lead back to the Dolphins. Following two free throws by Jalaun Taylor with 1:39 got the Golden Knights within 25-22, Gause had a put-back dunk and a fast-break lay-up 18 seconds apart to give the Dolphins a 29-22 lead at the intermission.

Le Moyne blew the game open with the first 10 points of the second half to take a 39-22 lead with 15:59 left. Gause and Lovell each had four of the points, while Buczek added a lay-up.

The Golden Knights countered with an 11-4 run to get within 10, but could not trim their deficit to single digits. Lipinski had four of the points, while Weaver capped the run with a three-point play.

The Dolphins pushed their lead to 18 for the first time with an 11-3 jaunt, led by eight points from Gause, while Saint Rose followed with seven straight points to get back within 11 with 6:46 to go.

Le Moyne used a 9-1 run over 3:23 to put the game away. Gause made four free throws and a three-pointer before Buczek converted a pair of foul shots with 2:07 remaining.

Le Moyne (4-0, 2-0 NE-10), which has won its first two Northeast-10 Conference games for the first time since the 2008-09 season (also New Haven and Saint Rose, but in reverse order) and for just the second time in the 19 years in the league, dips back into non-conference play on Tuesday at Mansfield University at 7:30 p.m.