Dustin Scott (20 points, nine rebounds) and Kareem Johnson (18 points, 10 rebounds) were too much for the Saints, particularly in the paint.
It was 52-52 at halftime before the Hawks put the clamps on the Saints, holding them scoreless for nearly eight minutes.
Wellington scored 11 unanswered points to close to within four with nine minutes still remaining in the game. After a time-out the Hawks replied with a 14-2 run, which ended the Saints' chance of a comeback win.
The Saints drop to 7-3, but their main concern must be their imports, Elijah Obade and Ernest Scott, who were held to a combined four points and five rebounds.
The Hawks are 9-2 and look like they will be the first team to clinch a playoff berth.
In Invercargill, the Southland Sharks beat the Nelson Giants 94-83 after a strong second period, where they out-scored the visitors 29-10.
After missing five games, Brian Conklin returned to the Sharks line-up to have a game-high 21 points and 11 rebounds. Kevin Braswell scored 17, Reuben Te Rangi added 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Shea Ili (14 points) and Leon Henry (12) contributed off the bench.
Josh Pace top-scored for the Giants with 20 points and veteran Phill Jones added 16 off the bench.
The Taranaki Mountain Airs thumped the Super City Rangers 126-90, shooting a red-hot 63% from the field and 48% from the three-point line.
American Adrian Oliver scored a 2014 league-high 42 points and fellow import Suleiman Braimoh tallied 35 points, 15 rebounds and five steals in what could be a third successive player-of-the-week performance.
The Rangers were at full strength and Dillon Boucher played his first game of the season, but they struggled for energy after the bye week.
Darryl Corletto had his best offensive output of the season with 30 points, Jason Caddee had 17 - but missed all seven three-point attempts - and Duane Bailey had 15 for the Rangers, who are at the bottom of the table with one win and seven losses.
