McDowell contributed a game-high 19 points for the Eagles (0-1), who were held without a field goal for the game’s final 10:29, but converted on 8 of 14 attempts from the charity stripe to hold off a charge by the Green Terror (0-1).
Heather Thompson and Katy Powell netted 15 and 14 points, respectively, to lead McDaniel.
An Amy Watson field goal tied the game at 51 with 3:57 to play before three Jess Winemiller free throws stretched the lead back to 54-51 with 1:36 remaining.
Two Powell free throws drew the Green Terror within one with 55 seconds showing, but the sophomore sealed it with her free throws.
In a first half marred with seven ties and eight lead changes, the Eagles scored the first two and last two points of the stanza to take a 30-28 advantage into the intermission.
After a Powell layup knotted the game at 6 with 16:02 showing, Winemiller converted a fast-break layup and Ali Meckey hit Juniata’s lone 3-pointer of the first half to give the squad an 11-6 lead a minute and a half later.
After Mindy Werner re-established the five-point advantage with a jumper at the 11:08 mark, baskets by Powell and Thompson and a pair of Thompson free throws over the next 1 minute, 30 seconds gave the Green Terror a 14-13 lead.
After trading layups, Thompson converted her three-point play to stretch the McDaniel advantage to two.
A Werner jumper and two free throws from McDowell put the Eagles back in front 19-17 before Sally Grace recorded her first two collegiate points with a pair of tosses from the charity stripe at the 6:48 mark.
Layups from Winemiller and McDowell a minute apart gave Juniata a 23-19 lead.
Powell scored four of the game’s next five points to draw the Green Terror within 24-23 with 3:28 remaining until halftime.
With her team trailing by two, Jamie Morningstar converted a fast-break bucket to knot the game at 26 with 2:16 showing.
Two Thompson free throws gave the Green Terror a 28-26 edge with 1:13 to play before McDowell went 4-for-4 from the stripe in the final minute of the half to give the Eagles the two-point halftime lead.
Three free throws and a Winemiller jumper stretched the lead to seven within the first minute of the second half.
After Watson and Powell scored on back-to-back possessions to pull McDaniel within three, Meckey doubled the advantage with her second 3-pointer.
A Jill Walsh jumper pushed the lead to as many as 42-34 with 16:33 to play.
Four free throws keyed a two-minute burst that drew the Green Terror within 42-40.
Two free throws from Allison Biggs and an Alexandra Moreland fast-break layup knotted the game at 44 with 11:19 showing.
McDowell responded with a trey and Winemiller added another fast-break layup to push the lead to 49-44 with 10:29 to play.
Three Thompson free throws knotted the game at 49 nearly two minutes later befor McDowell once again hit a pair from the line to re-establish the two-point lead.
McDaniel returns to action against the hosts in the consolation game of the inaugural York College Coaches vs. Cancer tip-off tournament on Saturday. Game time is 1 p.m.