South African-born import forward Grant Fiorentinos led the scoring with 14 points and four rebounds with Bartlett and Haku adding six points each, although the Bay-born co-captain also plucked five rebounds for a guard.
Not surprisingly sharpshooter Marcel Jones had racked up 20 points and three rebounds while Tohi Smith-Milner and forward William Neighbour added seven points each to their cause.
Smith-Milner and Anamata Haku applied powder puffs on each other, drawing caution from referee Ryan Jones.
It was points from turnovers and fast breaks that were hurting the Hawks most although they bullied from the bench.
The third quarter started in the same manner with neither side scoring before the visitors drew a foul almost two minutes into the action.
The Rams eventually increased their lead to 52-42 as the hosts fell foul of the shot clock in their first look at the rim and Tony Tolovae couldn't make good a Everard Bartlett relay to the board.
The spell came alive with 3:31 left after Fiorentinos and Bartlett, who also made a steal in transition, drove the Hawks to level at 59-all as the PG Arena faithful found their vocal chords.
With a minute to go, the Hawks' scrambling defence and desperate foraging drew 64-all through some agility from Fiji-born Joshua Fox's drop from the carpark to push the hosts into a 67-66 lead much to the dismay of Rams coach Mark Dickel.
The final quarter started with Fox drawing a foul and dropping two from the charity line to extend the lead.
It was the visiting bench's turn to rise, clap and cheer as guard Jeremy Kendle dropped a bomb to signal the Rams' intentions as they snuck back into the lead, 75-69, with 7:26 left on the clock.
Two sweat-expending shots from outside the arc from Bartlett levelled the scores at 75-all, with a shade more than five minutes to go.
It was top-of-the-D stuff, as Marcus Alipate (Rams) and Tolovae (Hawks) traded blows before some body-slamming defence took them locked into three minutes of play.
It was time for Hawks coach Kirstin Daly-Taylor to vent her spleen as the Rams took the edge, 80-78, with two minutes to go.
As the Hawks mounted a dogged defence to deny Rams access to the driving lanes, a group of sponsors' representatives on the table behind politely asked Dickel to prop up their hoarding he had viciously flattened with 1:12 to go as the sides were locked 80-all.
With 37 seconds left and Canterbury leading, the ball was in the hands of Jones but he only dropped one as the lead moved to 83-80.
However, with 24s left Bartlett took a hit for the team to drop a three-pointer to level, 83-all, before teenage point guard Mataeus Marsh deflected a Rams counterattack out of play.
With 1.6s left, again Jones had the ball but a fever-pitch crowd seemed to throw the game-changing machine off his mark for overtime play.
Those lethal hands were to again desert Jones soon after in the final five-minute spell but seconds later they found love from the rim, which sparked a flurry of points and a 91-85 lead.
The game ground to a halt with 53:6 to go as Kendle went up to the boards for a deposit and, almost going unnoticed, Jones was left lying on his back before players helped him hobble off favouring a cramp.
The Rams had resoundingly established a 99-87 lead and their first victory.
Jones was the assassinator with a double-double 33 points and 10 rebounds while Kendle showed his worth with 31 points and four assists.
Veteran skipper Marques Whippy's presence was undeniable, especially towards the dying minutes, with eight rebounds.
For the Hawks, Fiorentinos top-scored with 25 points and was three shy off the board for a double-double.
Bartlett again matched him on the boards and added 23 points to the collective's lost cause.
Fox added 12 points and Tolovae showed his versatility with 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
US import Lamar Roberson had only 9:33 minutes of court time, frustratingly picking up three fouls as Daly-Taylor benched him for the rest of the game.
