Mali basketball players apologize for fighting in mixed zone after Women's World Cup loss

Two Mali basketball players apologized for battling in the mixed zone after the team's 81 -- 68 defeat against Serbia at the Women's World Cup.

After Mali's fourth straight defeat at the tournament in Sydney, Australia, the incident between Salimatou Kourouma and Kamite Elisabeth Dabou took place on Monday. The fight was widely circulated on social media.

The International Basketball Association, the FIBA, said it had opened an investigation into the incident to decide on any disciplinary actions.

Kourouma, sat alongside Dabou, told reporters on Tuesday that they were here to apologize for the images that were going on social media.

It was not our intention and we were frustrated because of the loss. We apologize to the world of basketball and the FIBA World Cup. In the footage, Kourouma can be seen throwing punches at Dabou before other Mali players intervene to try and separate the two players. CNN Sport contacted Mali's basketball federation for further comment on the incident.

Mali exited the World Cup after losing every game in Group B, which included going down 88 -- 65 against Canada on Tuesday.

The Women's World Cup begins with the quarter-finals on Thursday and concludes with the final on Saturday.