separate you from VS keep you from
For context: the participant who is on the 1st place now has earned 10 points, and the participant on the 2nd place has earned 5 points. How can I say that 5 points separate the second place from the first? Like in the sentence: "5 points separate/keep you from the 1st place."
I would say, "The contender in first place has a five point lead."